Lawyers are cautious in interpreting announcement.
By The American Bazaar Staff
WASHINGTON, DC: Prominent Indian American immigration lawyers welcomed immigration measures outlined by President Obama in his prime-time speech on Thursday.
“The changes spelled out by the president are overall very positive,” Johnson Myalil, a lawyer with High-Tech Immigration Law Group, based in Reston, VA, told The American Bazaar on Friday.
He said, with regard to Indian high-tech employees, the White House executive actions on immigration contain improvements in status quo in at least five areas. They include, in Myalil’s words, the directives to define more clearly the meaning of “specialized knowledge,” streamline the labor certification process—which is part of the Green Card application—and improve the optional practical training (OPT) program for international students.
Murthy Law Firm, one of the largest immigration law groups in the nation, also welcomed the presidential action.
“The changes directed by the DHS are largely favorable and should help to address some of the problems commonly faced by employers and high-skilled workers, not to mention H-4 spouses who have long been waiting for the opportunity to work,” the firm founded by Sheela Murthy and based in Owings Mills, MD, stated on its website. “The Murthy Law Firm is excited and optimistic about these changes.”
Similarly, the Chugh Firm, which also has an immigration practice and offices in a number of Indian cities, said in a press release that the executive action that “will offer some protections for millions of undocumented foreign nationals in the United States as well as coordinating better use of resources for border security.”
However, lawyers and law firms have generally been careful in interpreting the various elements of the executive action, which triggered a furious response from the Republican Party.
Pointing out that the guidance will be issued, “perhaps by December or January,” the Chugh Firm said: “Many items are still unclear, and the merits of many may not be known until the details are disclosed. Some will require regulations, but others can be done by memo.”
As The American Bazaar reported Friday, Prakash Khatri, who was appointed by the George W. Bush White House as the first Immigration Ombudsman, backed the Executive Order.