This teleconference in our monthly series to guide employers and their representatives in their understanding of U.S. immigration law focuses on strategies to increase the chance of approval for nonimmigrant visas, such as Bs, Hs, and Ls, at U.S. consulates. The trend over the past several years has been increased scrutiny of visa applications, a dramatic increase in the number of 221(g) denials and sometimes lengthy delays for "administrative processing." More H1B petitions have been returned to the USCIS for possible revocation, further delaying possible visa approvals. Also discussed are strategies for filing well-documented petitions with the USCIS through to preparation for visa interviews.

The H1B process is the one of the most common ways that businesses benefit from U.S. immigration laws. However, in ways not encountered in other industries H1B petitions filed by companies in the information technology consulting industry face greater challenges to approval. In this recording from the Murthy Law Firm, Sheela Murthy addresses some of the critical issues of which any IT consulting should be aware when beginning the process of filing an H1B petition. She highlights some of the important ways that companies can establish their eligibility, improving their chances of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services approval.

This podcast provides an overview of the immigration regulations and policy guidance governing F-1 nonimmigrant status. Students in F-1 status must understand and comply with complex rules in order to maintain their valid status in the United States. These rules govern most daily aspects of one's life as a student, including academic study, class enrollment, employment, travel, financial ability, and practical training, among others. The podcast explains the importance for all students in F-1 status to understand the basics of status maintenance in order to recognize and address potential problems as soon as they arise.

An essential component of the most common employment-based green card case is the ability of the petitioner to pay the wage offered on the I-140 petition. While the law does not require the sponsor to pay the salary before the green card is approved, the petitioner must show that the wage could have been paid. This podcast reviews the ability-to-pay requirement and ways for the sponsor to address this matter to USCIS's satisfaction.

This teleconference in our series for employers and their representatives provides an overview of the immigration impact and considerations related to company mergers and acquisitions. This includes: successor-in-interest considerations, I-9 implications, and issues pertaining to non-disruption of the workforce and continuation of immigration sponsorship. Co-employer arrangements are discussed in this context. Attorneys from the Murthy Law Firm address immigration related corporate restructuring considerations and related recommendations for employers.

Attorney Sheela Murthy, President and Founder of Murthy Law Firm, joined by Managing Attorney Aron Finkelstein and Attorney Anna Stepanova in a discussion on some important issues that prospective students are faced with when trying to choose a place to study. They provide some tips on what could be the warning signs or problems. More specifically, this episode will address immigration related issues that prospective students would need to know about before making their choices.

This teleconference in our series for employers and their representatives provides an overview of the I-140 immigrant petition, including issues and strategies related to educational equivalency and ability to pay. Attorneys from the Murthy Law Firm discuss recent cases related to I-140 matters, as well as recent trends in adjudications from the USCIS.

The topic of this teleconference in our series for employers and their representatives is pursuing PERM labor certification in light of recent U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) trends. The session describes the impact of the DOL's increased scrutiny of PERM recruitment and recent decisions from the Board of Alien Labor Certification Appeals (BALCA). Murthy Law Firm Attorneys discuss strategies for handling prevailing wage determinations and properly documenting recruitment in order to prepare a strong case for labor certification.

Our April 2012 teleconference is a unique topic for employers and their representatives as well as company owners, presidents, executives (CEOs, COOs, CTOs, CFOs, and others), plus stakeholders, to benefit from U.S. tax information regarding high-net-worth individuals. This teleconference covers some of the most important matters regarding tax consequences to U.S. employers who hire foreign workers. Discussion includes state and federal income tax and FICA withholding for foreign national workers in various nonimmigrant statuses (H1B, F-1, L-1, J-1, etc), per diem vs. wages, Form 1099 vs. Form W-2, employing workers outside the U.S., and more. Practical tax issues for high-net-worth individuals is also discussed, including the effect of Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) and tax consequences of foreign income for U.S. citizens and green card holders.

The topic our January teleconference in this series for employers and their representatives pursued labor certification (PERM) in the context of a challenging economy. The session described the impact of the Department of Labor's (DOL's) increased scrutiny of PERM cases and recent trends from DOL. Murthy Law Firm attorneys discussed strategies for addressing the offered wages for PERM cases in light of profit losses that employers may be experiencing, how to handle the issue of layoffs, and safeguarding the employer's ability to extend H1B status for employees beyond the six-year maximum.