Got a crime?

The Tenth Circuit granted the petition for review, holding that the Board of Immigration Appeals’ decision to retroactively apply Matter of Briones to the petitioner’s case found no support in the principles underlying the law of retroactivity, in U.S. Supreme Court or circuit precedent, or in relevant authority from other jurisdictions. The court further found …

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SB Stopped Cold

In a 54 to 45 vote, the Senate blocked S. 2146, the Stop Sanctuary Policies and Protect Americans Act, from advancing to the Senate floor. To move forward, the bill required a supermajority, or 60 votes.

The Board of Immigration Appeals cannot simply ignore the evidence.

The Second Circuit reversed the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) and remanded, finding that it was unable to meaningfully review the agency’s removability determination, because the BIA had failed to consider material evidence—namely, the petitioner’s 1994 marriage certificate. On remand, the BIA was instructed to evaluate the authenticity of the marriage certificate, and to articulate …

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Are you from Northern Mariana Islands?

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will allow up to 12,999 nonimmigrants in fiscal year (FY) 2016 for the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI)-Only Transitional Worker (CW-1) program. DHS published the notice in today’s Federal Register. Under the CW-1 program, employers in the CNMI can apply for temporary permission to employ foreign nationals who …

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Immigration Judges hard at work

A recent Transactional Records Access Clearing House (TRAC) report found that Immigration Judges completed 198,105 cases during FY2015, up 7.3% from 184,597 in FY2014. The data indicated that this marks the first time in six years that immigration court case closings have risen rather than fallen, halting a downward slide that had been observed since …

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Don’t make small mistakes on PERM

BALCA affirmed the denial of certification where the employer incorrectly entered the prevailing wage validity period on the ETA Form 9089 as less than the minimum 90 days required by 20 CFR §656.40(c). BALCA rejected the employer’s argument of harmless error, even though the prevailing wage determination issued by the State Workforce Agency did not …

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After 20 years of IIRAIRA – 9th Circuit rules that crime of violence definition is unconstitutionally vague

The Ninth Circuit granted the petition for review and remanded, holding that the language in 18 USC §16(b), which is incorporated into INA §101(a)(43)(F)’s definition of a “crime of violence,” was unconstitutionally vague. The court found that §16(b)’s language suffered from the same indeterminacy the U.S. Supreme Court found in the Armed Career Criminal Act’s …

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Keep fighting your case

The Ninth Circuit granted the petition for review of the Board of Immigration Appeals’ decision, which found that the petitioner was inadmissible under INA §212(a)(3)(B) for having engaged in terrorist activity. The court held that the Board erred in failing to apply the clear error standard of review to the Immigration Judge’s finding that the …

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Diversity Lottery begins again

The State Department provided information on the 2017 Diversity Immigrant Visa Program (DV-2017), including instructions on submitting an electronic entry, answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs), and a list of countries/areas by region whose natives are eligible for DV-2017. Entries must be submitted electronically between October 1, 2015, andNovember 3, 2015. https://cbocalbos.wordpress.com/tag/diversity-visa/ https://cbocalbos.wordpress.com/tag/diversity-visa-program/ https://cbocalbos.wordpress.com/tag/diversity-visas/ https://californiaimmigration.us/2011-diversity-visa-lottery-program-registration-starts-october-2nd/

USCIS Petition might go faster

USCIS recently rebalanced the workload distribution of certain Form I-140 petitions and employment-based Form I-485 applications between the TSC and the NSC. Beginning October 19, 2015, individuals who submit a Form I-140 petition together with a Form I-907, Request for Premium Processing, with a worksite location in Maryland, New Jersey, New York, or Pennsylvania must file …

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SNAP Fraud is an aggravated felony

The Eighth Circuit upheld the Board of Immigration Appeals’ conclusion that the petitioner’s conviction for the unauthorized use of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits categorically involved fraud or deceit within the meaning of INA §101(a)(43)(M), and was thus an aggravated felony. https://cbocalbos.wordpress.com/tag/aggrvated-felony/ https://cbocalbos.wordpress.com/tag/aggravated-felony-bar/ https://cbocalbos.wordpress.com/tag/aggravated-felony/ https://californiaimmigration.us/california-penal-code-regarding-unlawful-sexual-intercourse-with-a-minor-compares-the-similar-charges-of-aggravated-felony/

Are you a Filipino Veteran of Word War II?

DHS issued a notice that it is creating a parole program to allow certain family members of Filipino and Filipino-American World War II veterans to receive parole to come to the United States. Announced as part of the November 2014 executive actions on immigration, this program may enable eligible family members to provide support, care, …

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Be careful if you own the company doing the PERM and you are also the beneficiary

BALCA affirmed the Certifying Officer’s denial of certification, finding that the employer did not establish that the job opportunity was open and available to all U.S. workers as required by 20 CFR §656.10(c)(8), where the beneficiary and her husband each had a 50% ownership interest in the sponsoring entity. https://cbocalbos.wordpress.com/tag/perm-2/ https://cbocalbos.wordpress.com/tag/denial-of-perm/ https://cbocalbos.wordpress.com/tag/perm/ https://californiaimmigration.us/green-card/perm-employment-petition-for-immigration/

The October Visa Bulletin Fiasco

The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington issued an order denying the plaintiffs’ motion for a temporary restraining order (TRO) against the State Department in the class action lawsuit regarding the October 2015 Visa Bulletin. The court’s order stated, “While the Court appreciates the confusion caused by the two Visa Bulletins published …

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