In applying for a PERM labor certification, an employer first must request a prevailing wage determination from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). Although prevailing wage determinations typically are based on internal DOL data, there are times when an employer may be required or have...
On February 27, 2024, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that eligible Ukrainian nationals paroled into the United States due to the invasion of Ukraine by Russia can apply for a two-year humanitarian period of re-parole. While we work to provide our readers...
The Murthy Law Firm periodically receives questions from those who do not know the categories of their pending employment-based permanent residence ("green card") cases. This is a useful piece of information, which determines timeframes and options for an individual or family. While generally available from...
The attorneys in our firm regularly track governmental policies and takes action to improve the immigration process for our clients and the immigration community at large. To that end, the Murthy Law Firm recently submitted a petition for rulemaking to the U.S. Department of State...
The official U.S. Visa Information Service website for consular services in India has updated its guidance for Indian students applying for emergency student visa appointments. This guidance was prompted largely by a shortage of regular visa appointments at U.S. consular posts in India, necessitating many...
The H1B registration period for fiscal year 2025 (FY25) is nearly upon us. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will kick off the two-week H1B registration period on March 6, 2024. And, while there are a few minor changes to the registration system this...
This evening, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) released the March 2024 Visa Bulletin. As expected, there is not much movement in most of the employment-based categories. All cutoff dates listed refer to those in the final action chart (i.e., Chart A), unless otherwise specified. Visa...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has issued a final rule, which will significantly increase the filing fees for most types of immigration benefits, effective April 1, 2024. While the fees are similar to those initially indicated in the proposed rule, several key changes...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the U.S. Department of State (DOS) have a special, expedited I-130 form, petition for an alien relative, filing procedure for a U.S. citizen living abroad facing exceptional circumstances. In eligible situations, this procedure can help reduce the...
On January 24, 2024, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released updated guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual on untimely filed extensions of stay and change of status requests for certain nonimmigrants. The guidance reiterates that the USCIS has the discretion to excuse an...
