Ridgewood, New Jersey - December 26th, 2013 - U.S. Consulate Office in Mumbai, India - Notice to Immigrant Visa Applicants

Effective December 23, 2013, all immigrant visa applicants must complete the DS-260 online immigrant visa application at https://ceac.state.gov/ceac and login to https://www.ustraveldocs.com/in to schedule an appointment at Visa Application Center(VAC) for biometric fingerprint and photograph...

This the season to be jolly . . . but it is also the season when international travel can be a folly. Many foreign nationals will be traveling outside the U.S. during the holidays. This holiday travel usually extends from the end of December through the middle of January. Of course, for some, holiday...

It is that time of year again! We always hear the accountants moan and groan about the approaching April 15th deadline each year but, you have to listen a bit more closely and you will hear (and see) the U.S. business immigration lawyers and attorneys manifesting their distaste for the April 1st filing date...

If it wasn't already clear where the House Republican leadership stood on immigration, it is now. Recently, Speaker John Boehner announced the hiring of Rebecca Tallent to be his immigration policy advisor. Tallent was most recently the director of immigration policy for the Bipartisan Policy Center, a business oriented group promoting amnesty and massive...

During a recent conversation with Charlie Oppenheim of the Department of State's Visa Office, the American Immigration Lawyers' Association (AILA) was provided the following information and updates regarding demand in the employment-based immigrant visa categories. Please note that these notes are based on Mr. Oppenheim's impressions at the time and are subject to change...

The Department of State (DOS) recently released additional, more detailed information about how it calculates immigrant visa availability cut-off dates.

DOS explained that each month, its Visa Office subdivides the annual preference and foreign state limitations into monthly allotments based on totals of documentarily qualified immigrant visa applicants reported at consular posts and U.S....

One of the largest immigration related penalties against a single company was recently reported. Infosys Limited, an Indian company involved in consulting, technology and outsourcing, has agreed to a record $34 million civil settlement based on allegations of systemic visa fraud and abuse of immigration processes, and also agreed to enhanced corporate compliance measures....

The U.S. Department of State is currently accepting applications for the 2015 Diversity Visa program (DV-2015, also known as the green card lottery). The DV-2015 application period, which runs from October 1 to November 2, marks the first time that applicants may include same-sex spouses in their initial applications or add spouses acquired after...

USCIS on October 6th, 2013, has issued policy memorandum about OPT for students enrolled in STEM Program as following:

17-Month Extension of Post-Completion Optional Practical Training (OPT) for F-1 Students Enrolled in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Degree Programs

Purpose

The purpose of this policy memorandum (PM) is to clarify the eligibility requirements for a...

No organization, no matter what the size, is insulated from the potential for an I-9 audit or investigation by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office. NPZ Law Group continues to be called in to defend employers against civil and criminal fines and penalties for the unauthorized employment...