http://ow.ly/wxE0m As of April 25, 2014, USCIS receipted 21,693 beneficiaries toward the 33,000 H-2B cap for the second half of FY2014. This count includes 18,805 approved and 2,888 pending beneficiaries.

http://ow.ly/wxDSe The Ninth Circuit found that the petitioner was not categorically removable under INA §237(a)(2)(B)(i) because the Hawaii statute of conviction criminalized at least two substances that were not listed in the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) and that under the modified categorical approach, the record did not establish that the conviction involved a controlled substance …

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http://ow.ly/wxFh5 The Associated Press reports that House Speaker John Boehner drew criticism from the left and right Friday over comments mocking his own Republican lawmakers for their reluctance to take up immigration legislation.

http://ow.ly/wxDtF A new CBP website now allows nonimmigrant travelers to access arrival and departure records going back five years from the request date. CBP states that this website may eliminate the need for travelers to file FOIA requests for this information.

http://youtu.be/rSIVf4CZee0 Got a crime? You might not be inadmissible.

http://ow.ly/wp9om Recent Win for Brian D. Lerner: Board granted sua sponte motion to reopen 2006 order based on changed country conditions in Egypt and eligibility for adjustment of status. Client was previously found not credible and his case, with a different office, went all the way up to the 9th Circuit.

http://ow.ly/wg5BO The New York Times reports that last week, after a U.S. magistrate judge in Portland, Oregon ruled that an immigrant’s rights had been violated when she was held in a county jail based on a federal immigration detainer, sheriffs in nine Oregon counties announced that they would no longer hold people in jail based …

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http://youtu.be/C4EH5QxJj7o Learn how to fight against the permanent bar.

http://ow.ly/w7SPq The Fifth Circuit denied the petition for review, finding that INA §245(i) does not overcome inadmissibility under INA §212(a)(6)(C)(i) for fraudulent entry.

http://ow.ly/w7Stp On April 28, 2014, USCIS will begin premium processing for H-1B petitions subject to the FY2015 cap, including H-1B petitions for individuals who have earned a U.S. master’s degree or higher.

http://ow.ly/w7BOe The Eleventh Circuit found the petitioners did not show that the IJ and BIA erred in giving little or no weight to an unauthenticated 2006 “official document” from the Birth Control Office when denying the forced sterilization asylum case.

http://ow.ly/w5Rsw Is Due Process going down? DHS’s increased use of the expedited removal process, in which the deportee never sees a judge, but the removal remains on his or her permanent record.

http://ow.ly/vROzx The Fourth Circuit gave deference to the BIA decision in Camarillo and found that service of the notice to appear (NTA) terminated physical presence by triggering the stop-time rule, notwithstanding the fact that the NTA was missing the hearing date and time and contained incorrect charges that were later amended.

http://ow.ly/vMA3D Try an O-1. USCIS announced today that it has received a sufficient number of H-1B petitions to reach the statutory cap for fiscal year (FY) 2015. USCIS has also received more than the limit of 20,000 H-1B petitions filed under the U. S. advanced degree exemption.

http://ow.ly/vGF9P The State Department announced that the U.S. Embassy in Manila, Philippines is closed for all routine American Citizen Services from November 13, 2013 through November 15, 2013, in order to assist with Typhoon Yolanda recovery efforts.