Many people believe the only way to bring relatives to the U.S. is through a family petition. This is not true. Family can petition other family members through an employment-based visa, which can be much faster and is perfectly legal. This is exactly what Ana (center) did when she petitioned her aunt Susan (left) as…

FOR anyone with a pending petition or application, the delays in processing their case at USCIS can be frustrating and can cause tremendous disruption, and unnecessary separation of family members. If this applies to you, you’re not alone. The USCIS has a process or procedure to request your case to be expedited. In this article,…

After consulting with leading U.S. Immigration Attorney Michael J. Gurfinkel (right), she was advised to wait for her son to first legalize his status and become a U.S. citizen. Only then could the son be able to petition his mother. They had to wait patiently though, since Nanay Emi’s son, Jerome, was a crewman who…

MOST people think they can only file family petitions for relatives. Actually, they can also petition their family member for a green card through employment. In this brand-new episode, viewers can learn how Ana petitioned her aunt, Susan, as a housekeeper. Since the minimum requirement for the job was three months experience in housekeeping, Aunt…

The November priority dates are typically the start of the new “fiscal year” for visas, where a new annual supply of visas is made available.  Usually, with a new supply of visas, the priority dates move forward in the various family categories.  However, for November 2021, the priority dates did not move at all.  They…

FOR anyone who is out of status, one of their biggest fears is an immigration raid at their workplace. We have all seen news reports of immigration raids at carwashes, restaurants, factories, processing plants, etc., where workers are rounded up, and if out of status, are handcuffed, and taken away in vans for deportation/removal. During…

Marjun (right) missed the opportunity to join his father, Marcelo Sr. (left), and siblings in the U.S. in 1996 because his name was missing from the list of accompanying family members on his father’s petition. Because his parents did not know what to do, Marjun was left behind. His mother (2nd from left) finally petitioned…

IN what has been described as “…a dramatic shift in U.S. immigration enforcement policy that will likely spare most undocumented immigrants who have lived in the U.S. for years…,” on September 30, 2021, Alejandro Mayorkas, the Sec. of the Department of Homeland Security, issued new guidelines for the enforcement of civil immigration law, which are…

TO petition one’s family members to come to the U.S., the petitioner must prove they are living (or domiciled) in the U.S. In this episode, U.S. citizen father, Cesar, petitioned his daughters, Corinne (2nd from left) and Cathlene (extreme left). However, he was living in the Philippines when his daughters’ visas became available. The U.S….

The family consulted with several attorneys. One filed for political asylum for Vince, and when the expanded provisional waiver regulations came out in 2016, another attorney obtained an approved provisional waiver, enabling Vince to return to Manila for his immigrant visa interview, without being subject to the 10-year bar. Unfortunately, when Vince went to the…

THE October priority dates are typically the start of the new “fiscal year” for visas, where a new annual supply of visas is made available.  Usually, with a new supply of visas, the priority dates move forward in the various family categories.  However, for October 2021, the priority dates did not move at all.  They…

ON September 20, 2021, the Biden Administration announced that it is rescinding/canceling the Trump era COVID-19 travel bans, and, starting in November 2021, will instead require all international travelers to the U.S. to provide proof of vaccination before being allowed to board a flight to the U.S., as well as proof of a negative COVID-19…

Gerry Apolinario (right) was outside the U.S. too many times during the five years before filing his application for naturalization, and he missed the minimum physical presence requirement by a mere 15 days. USCIS then denied his application. Find out how leading U.S. Immigration Attorney Michael J. Gurfinkel (left) was able to turn that denied…

Popular show has a new time slot – 6:30 PM PT IT was 1996. Marjun (right) was 16 years old when his father, Marcelo Sr, (left) immigrated to the U.S. with Marjun’s three other siblings. Marjun’s name was missing from the list of his father’s accompanying family members. His father did not know what to…

STARTING on October 1, 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (or CDC) is requiring all immigrant visa applicants over the age of 12 to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19. This includes people within the U.S. applying for adjustment of status, or outside the U.S. applying for immigrant visas. Vaccinations would not apply to…

GERRY Apolinario’s (right) naturalization application was denied because he was outside the U.S. too many times during the five years before filing his application, and missed the 913-day minimum physical presence requirement by a mere 15 days. By law, a person is required to have resided continuously in the U.S. for at least five years…

DEAR Atty. Gurfinkel: My sister petitioned me in 2002 in the F-4 category (brother/sister of a U.S. citizen) when my child was still a baby. Recently, the priority date became current. We paid all the fees and submitted all the forms on behalf of my family, including my child, who is now over 21. At the…

DEAR Atty. Gurfinkel: I was petitioned as “single” by my immigrant (green card) parent in 2011. The priority date is now current, and I am getting paperwork and forms from the NVC to fill out. I have a live-in partner, and we have a child together. Although we never married, we put a date of…

Mike (2nd from left) was petitioned as “single” by his mother and wanted to bring his children with him to the U.S., but his mother said, “leave the kids behind,” since their birth certificates had a date of marriage. Unfortunately, that decision resulted in many years of separation for Mike and his children. Leading U.S….

THERE are so many movies and reality shows that focus on fiancé visas, like “90 Day Fiancée,” and it’s hard to sort through fact from fiction. Many people also come to me, asking the same questions that many of you may be asking – “How do I bring my boyfriend or girlfriend to the U.S….

SINGLE PARENT LEAVES CHILDREN BEHIND BECAUSE OF DATE OF MARRIAGE ON THEIR BIRTH CERTIFICATES THIS SUNDAY ON CITIZEN PINOY. Mike (2nd from left) was petitioned as “single” by his mother and wanted to bring his children with him to the U.S., but his mother said, “leave the kids behind,” since their birth certificates had a…

The September 2021 priority dates, continue to provide great news for workers in the EB-3 (skilled/professional) and “other worker” (unskilled workers like caregivers).  The priority dates for all countries (except India and China) are CURRENT!  This includes the Philippines!  This means visas are available, regardless of the person’s priority date.  If a person is being…

DEAR Attorney Gurfinkel: I was petitioned by my U.S. citizen parent in 2011 as single. The priority date became current, and I submitted all the forms and paid all the fees. When I went for my interview at the U.S. Embassy, my visa was refused because the consul said I had committed fraud about 15…

K1 – THE ‘LOVE’ VISA: THIS SUNDAY ON CITIZEN PINOY. Wendel (left) met Allen (center) on Friendster, after he went through a period of loneliness and depression, looking for true love. They soon knew they had found “the one.” Before they officially became a couple, they wanted to see each other in person, to make…

DEAR Atty. Gurfinkel: I married a U.S. citizen for love, hoping we would live “happily ever after.” Unfortunately, soon after marriage, he changed. He drank a lot, gambled, took drugs, called me names, said he would never petition me and would try to get me deported. He gets very angry when I laugh and speak…

HUMANITARIAN REVALIDATION OR SURVIVOR LAW: THIS SUNDAY ON CITIZEN PINOY. Allain (left) was petitioned by his mother in 1997. He came to the U.S. as a tourist with his wife, Laarnie (center), in 2002 and overstayed. His mother passed away in 2006, which, at that point, Allain thought his mother’s petition for him was gone….

LEADING U.S. Immigration Attorney Michael J. Gurfinkel (and host of Citizen Pinoy) explains the August 2021 priority dates on his YouTube channel: US Immigration TV. This video is a “must see” for anyone under petition by a family member or employer. Atty. Gurfinkel discusses the August 2021 priority dates and answers such questions as: What…

Allain (left) was petitioned by his mother in 1997. He came to the U.S. as a tourist with his wife, Lorraine (center), in 2002 and overstayed. His mother passed away in 2006, which, at that point, Allain thought his mother’s petition for him was gone. What would now happen to Allain and his petition? Leading…

LEADING U.S. Immigration Attorney Michael J. Gurfinkel presents another brand-new success story, after he provides the latest immigration developments, as featured on his YouTube channel: US Immigration TV. After the important U.S. immigration highlights, Citizen Pinoy shares an inspiring success story on how a family persevered, despite the many bumps along their immigration journey. Allain…

THE August 2021 priority dates, continue to provide great news for workers in the EB-3 (skilled/professional) and “other worker” (unskilled workers like caregivers).  The priority dates for all countries (except India and China) are CURRENT!  This includes the Philippines!  This means visas are available, regardless of the person’s priority date.  If a person is being…