H-1B cap petitions may be filed as of April 1
IPINAHAYAG ng USCIS noong Abril 1, 2020 na ang mga H-1B cap-subject petition para sa fiscal year (FY) 2021 na napili sa mga nag-electronic registration ay maaari nang i-file. Kasama…
Category: Immigration
Covering the week’s most noteworthy immigration news impacting the Filipino-American and Global Filipino community.
Read More
New hope for maintaining status when attorney messed up
ON April 2, 2020, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that if an alien failed to maintain lawful status (or went out of status) as a result of his…
Family law issues during the COVID-19 pandemic
THE COVID-19 Pandemic has changed our lives almost overnight. Not only has it changed our lives in terms of our daily routine, jobs, lifestyle, but also our relationship with our…
LA County officials discuss immigrant rights, price gouging
The new coronavirus, and the ways in which it has drastically capsized daily life for people across the world, has become the most pressing, quite literally life or death, issue…
USCIS offices’ temporary closure extended
US Embassy Manila visa interviews temporarily ceased SIMULA Marso 18, 2020, ang USCIS ay nagsuspende ng mga routine in-person service sa mga USCIS field office, asylum office at Application Support…
Family law issues during the COVID-19 pandemic
THE COVID-19 Pandemic has changed our lives almost overnight. Not only has it changed our lives in terms of our daily routine, jobs, lifestyle, but also our relationship with our…
Permanent residence based on same-sex marriage
IN United States vs. Windsor, 570 U.S. (2013) (Docket No. 12-307), the Supreme Court held that Federal restrictions of the terms “marriage” and “spouse” to marriages between a man and…
COVID-19 immigration update as of March 30, 2020
WITH the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, along with “stay-at-home,” “shelter in place,” quarantines, travel bans, etc., there has been a profound effect on immigration. Here are some of the…
Petitioning children of your spouse from a previous marriage
A STEPPARENT may file an immigrant petition for a stepchild even without the stepparent having to legally adopt the stepchild. However, before a stepparent may be able to file an…
On Census Day, Fil-Ams are reminded to be counted
With Census Day on April 1, community organizations are reminding Filipino Americans across the country to fill out their questionnaire. April 1, 2020 is significant because respondents will answer based…
Should I create a will and living trust in preparation for the COVID-19 pandemic?
THE COVID-19 Pandemic is a scary reality which affects everyone globally and has shut down the global economy. Individuals over 60 years old and individual that are immune compromised are…
Removing the conditions of your permanent residence without your petitioning spouse’s participation
A PERSON who obtains his/her green card via marriage to a U.S. citizen spouse, and who is married for less than 2 years has conditional permanent resident status. A conditional…
USCIS offices temporary closure and California lockdown
SIMULA Marso 18, 2020, ang USCIS ay nagsuspende ng mga routine in-person service sa mga field office, asylum office at Application Support Center para pabagalin ang pagkalat ng COVID-19. Ito…
Should I create a will and living trust in preparation for the COVID-19 pandemic?
THE Covid-19 Pandemic is a scary reality which affects everyone globally and has shut down the global economy. Individuals over 60 years old and individual that are immune compromised are…
California Divorce with a twist: The military spouse
SAN Diego is “military town” and Navy and Marine Corps families abound, as well as retirees from different branches of our military. The military life is a test of resilience…
COVID-19 and its effects on immigration
WITH the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic, along with “stay-at-home,” “shelter in place,” quarantines, travel bans, etc., there has been a profound effect on immigration. Here are some of the…
H1B cap registration update
ANG H1B application process ay inumpisahan na noong Marso 1, 2020 sa pamamagitan ng H1B cap electronic registration. Ayon sa USCIS, ang electronic registration ay mananatiling bukas hanggang Marso 20,…
Child custody for working parents
MANY parents believe that if you are a working parent, then the other non-working parent will get physical custody of the minor children automatically. This is a misperception of the…
Preparing your estate for the COVID-19 pandemic
THE Covid-19 Pandemic is a scary reality which affects everyone globally and has shut down the global economy. Individuals over 65 are more at risk of having serious complications with…
Maximizing recovery in personal injury cases
“Loss of earnings is often a significant part of an injured person’s claim for economic damages.” DEAR Attorney Tan, I was driving home and was at a complete stop when…
WATCH: Atty. Michael Gurfinkel discusses COVID-19’s impact on US immigration
Watch Atty. Gurfinkel’s latest immigration update on COVID 19, where USCIS is cancelling all in-person services until at least April 1, 2020, and Immigration Courts (EOIR) have cancelled all non-detained…
April 2020 priority dates
EACH month, the Visa Office of the State Department publishes, in the Visa Bulletin, the priority dates for that particular month, for the various family and employment based categories. A…
The Attorney-Client Relationship
AS attorneys, we get frantic or panicked phone calls from our clients worried about their cases. It’s a natural response – nobody wants to be in a place of unknowing…
Declaration of self-sufficiency
SIMULA noong Pebrero 24, 2020, may bagong form, ang Form I-944 Declaration of Self-Sufficiency na kailangang i-file kasabay ng I-485 Adjustment of Status Application. Ang Form I-944 ay maaari ring…
Filipina human trafficking victim reunites with family after 65 years
LOS ANGELES — An 83-year-old Filipina human trafficking victim reunited with three family members this week after 65 years apart. In an emotional reunion, Fedelina Lugasan — fondly known as…
Fil-Am community kicks off census week of action in LA County
As households across the country begin to receive invitations to participate in the 2020 Census, Filipino American organizations and leaders in Los Angeles County are holding a week of action…
Wills vs. trusts
WHEN a person passes away, the decedent’s assets could be divided in several ways: intestate succession (decedent left behind no will), testate succession (the decedent left a will), or through…
How important is it to have a living trust?
“ The assets held in your living trust will be managed by the trustee and distributed according to your directions without court supervision and involvement when you pass away.” THINKING…
Reinstatement for surviving beneficiaries of an I-130 petition filed by a deceased relative
DEAR Attorney Tan, My US Citizen mother filed an I-130 immigrant petition on my behalf, which has a priority date in February 2000 and which has been approved. She filed…
No more visitor visas for ‘birth tourism’
THE U.S. Department of State (DOS) has revised its regulations on eligibility for visitor visas, establishing that “travel to the United States with the primary purpose of obtaining U.S. citizenship…