2020 Census: Asian Americans in focus
THE U.S. Census Bureau continues to release information from the 2020 Census in order to provide rich information about the changing population of the United States. From the apportionment counts…
Category: Immigration
Covering the week’s most noteworthy immigration news stories impacting the Filipino-American and Global Filipino community.
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Poll: About half of all Filipino Americans blame Trump for anti-Asian discrimination
With a little more than a year out from the contentious 2022 midterm elections, among the most pressing issues that candidates are facing this year is one that is long…
USCIS to continue Filipino World War II Veterans Parole program, accept new applications
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it will continue a parole program that allows Filipino World War II veterans to be reunited with certain family members….
Immigrant rights advocates push for benefits, pathway to citizenship for essential undocumented workers
Even though the public has more or less resumed public life, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect the country’s most vulnerable communities, including undocumented essential workers who deserve a pathway…
PH Consulate in LA holds webinar on workers’ rights
THE Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles hosted a webinar to shed light on the laws, rules, and regulations affecting foreign migrant workers among the large Filipino community in the…
US Census 2020 results: America is more diverse, multiethnic than ever
White population experienced largest decrease of any racial group IN the wake of national discourse and debate over race and equality in the United States, the U.S. Census Bureau released…
BI allows foreigners stranded in the Philippines to renew visas
THE Philippine Bureau of Immigration (BI) has allowed foreign nationals stranded in the country to renew their visas that expired during the pandemic until November 30 this year. According to…
New immigration bills open the door for scammers
By Nina Mohan / Ethnic Media Services PRESIDENT Biden’s proposed immigration reforms could provide a pathway to citizenship for over 11 million undocumented immigrants, but the proposed changes also offer fresh opportunity…
A grandson who might age out and a daughter who is a DACA beneficiary are some of the issues to be tackled this Sunday on Citizen Pinoy!
LEADING U.S. Immigration Attorney Michael J. Gurfinkel (left) provides the latest immigration developments, as featured on his YouTube channel, “US Immigration TV.” This Sunday, he also answers questions centered around…
[COLUMN] A border of bureaucracy has kept my family apart for 35 years
by Michael Milan I was born in Los Angeles to immigrant parents from the Philippines. My father served in the U.S. Navy and my mother was a registered nurse who…
What Biden’s US Citizenship Act of 2021 will do for family immigration
WHEN Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey and Rep. Linda Sanchez of California first introduced the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021 in Congress on Feb. 18, the general consensus…
USCIS reverts to 2008 version of citizenship test
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it will be reverting to the 2008 version of the naturalization civics test beginning March 1, 2021. The agency on…
House Dems formally introduce sweeping immigration legislation
The U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021 includes an 8-year pathway to citizenship for millions of eligible undocumented individuals Nearly a month after President Joe Biden introduced a sprawling immigration proposal,…
Biden, Democrats’ immigration reform bill: A slow start toward pro-immigrant policy, experts say
IMMIGRATION reform, a term that has become synonymous with political gridlock and ideological barriers to entry, may finally be on the horizon after decades of unsuccessful attempts from both Democrats…
Biden signs executive order eliminating Trump-era barriers to legal immigration
UNITED States President Joe Biden signed a trio of executive orders on Tuesday, Feb. 2 that aim to undo former President Donald Trump’s hard-line immigration policies, including addressing family separation…
Immigration reform among Pres. Biden’s first directives
The word ‘alien’ to be removed from immigration laws, Congress directed to provide pathway to citizenship for DACA recipients AFTER the historic inauguration on Jan. 20, President Joe Biden followed…
Palace hails Biden proposal to prioritize legal status for millions of immigrants
Malacañang has welcomed United States President Joe Biden’s plan to offer legal status to millions of immigrants living in the U.S. illegally. “Ang mabuti sigurong mangyayari, ngayon pa lang inanunsyo…
High hopes or another false hope? Green cards for undocumented ‘essential workers’ on Biden’s agenda
On a recent Monday, Maribel Lapuz got up at 4:30 a.m. The 46-year-old immigrant from the Philippines braved the sub-zero weather and took the train from Jersey City, NJ to…
PH eligible again to participate in US H-2B visa program in 2021
THE Philippines can now participate in the United States’ H-2B visa program again after two years of ineligibility. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in consultation with the Department of…
Non-profit offers US citizenship test materials in 9 languages, including Tagalog
THE path to U.S. citizenship may be more difficult as the naturalization test now features an expanded version of the civics portion — but a free educational tool is helping…
Supreme Court rejects Trump challenge excluding undocumented immigrants from Census
The U.S. Supreme Court has dismissed a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s plan to exclude undocumented immigrants from the calculations used to allocate seats in the House of Representatives. “At present,…
Judge restores DACA, orders DHS to accept new applications
FOR the first time in three years, the program that has protected young undocumented immigrants from deportation will accept new applications. Judge Nicholas Garaufis of the U.S. District Court for…
PH immigration clarifies travel restrictions for balikbayans, foreign spouses, children
FOREIGN spouses and children of Filipino citizens are only allowed to enter the Philippines if the Filipino citizen or balikbayan is traveling with them, the Philippine Bureau of Immigration clarified…
USCIS revises naturalization test
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has revised the civics portion of the naturalization test. In its news release on Friday, November 13, the USCIS said it has updated…
PH Bureau of Immigration clarifies guidelines for foreign investors
FOREIGN investors planning to enter the Philippines must first secure an investor’s visa before they can be allowed entry to the country, the country’s Bureau of Immigration (BI) clarified on…
Judge rules DACA suspension invalid
THE Trump administration’s rules limiting applications and renewals for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program are invalid, a federal judge ruled over the weekend. Judge Nicholas Garaufis of…
Palace hopes Biden admin will relax US immigration policies
WHILE Malacañang expects no major changes in the United States’ foreign policy under President-elect Joe Biden, it hopes for a shift in the U.S. immigration policy that will treat Filipino…
Trump’s ‘public charge’ immigration rule back in effect days after being vacated
A FEDERAL appeals court on Wednesday, November 4 allowed the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to continue enforcing the Trump administration’s expanded “public charge” immigration rule that would deny…
Application for dual citizenship surges, consulate promises to shorten backlog
It took the coronavirus pandemic for many former Filipinos to realize the importance of holding a dual citizenship. The Philippine government temporarily banned the entry of foreigners and suspended the…
PH Bureau of Immigration: Travel restrictions still in place
TRAVEL restrictions to enter the Philippines are still in effect as the pandemic continues, the country’s Bureau of Immigration (BI) reminded the public on Wednesday, October 7. Immigration Commissioner Jaime…