May 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…
Category: Immigration
Covering the week’s most noteworthy immigration news impacting the Filipino-American and Global Filipino community.
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Trump issues executive order pausing certain green cards for 60 days
According to Trump, pausing immigration will help out unemployed Americans by allowing American workers to be first in line when the economy reopens. The COVID-19 Pandemic and the resulting shut…
Preventing abandonment of your green card due to travel abroad
DEAR Attorney, I am a permanent resident, and am planning to visit my loved ones in the Philippines during the holidays. I am planning to leave this week and stay…
Extension of status due to COVID-19
KINIKILALA ng USCUS na ang COVID-19 pandemic ay nakapagdulot na ng maraming immigration-related challenges. May mga dayuhan o nonimmigrants na walang balak na magtagal sa US o manatili sa US…
Trump issues executive order pausing certain green cards for 60 days
THE COVID-19 Pandemic and the resulting shut down of the US economy has wreaked havoc to the employment landscapre of Americans. Unemployment rates spiked to levels higher than the great…
California insurance commissioner orders auto insurance refunds, discusses workers comp for immigrants during pandemic
When the coronavirus pandemic turned daily life on its head, it caught Americans off-guard with little time to sort out finances. As the number of cases and deaths continues to…
Trump administration announces suspension of entry of immigrants
by: Atty. Richard M. Loew and Atty. Allison Aquino-Silva ON April 22, 2020, President Trump issued a Proclamation that prevents certain individuals with immigrant visas from entering the United States…
Trump’s executive order suspending green cards exempts immigrants already in US
Asian American groups condemn the new immigration restrictions SOME 48 hours after tweeting that he would temporarily curb United States immigration during the coronavirus pandemic, President Donald Trump on Wednesday,…
Trump’s executive order ‘suspending’ immigration
ON April 22, 2020, President Trump issued an Executive Order (EO) or Proclamation, effective at 11:59 PM on April 23, 2020, suspending for 60 days the entry of immigrants into…
Trump says he will temporarily suspend immigration during COVID-19 pandemic
As the coronavirus pandemic puts his administration under even more scrutiny, President Donald Trump took to Twitter this week to announce that he plans to “temporarily” terminate immigration to the…
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…
Family unification through family-based petitions
ANG family unification ay napakahalaga sa U.S. Immigration Law. Ang family-based immigrant category ay nagpapahintulot sa mga U.S. citizen (USC) at mga green card holder/lawful permanent resident (LPR) na mag-petition…
CA to send up to $1,000 to undocumented households
As millions of Americans started receiving their stimulus payments from the federal government this week, one group was largely left out of the relief plan: undocumented immigrants. In light of…
Can I get a green card if I had a previous marriage petition denied based on fraud?
DEAR Attorney Tan, I recently married a US Citizen, who is my second husband. He has filed an immigrant visa petition and green card application for me. My husband recently…
Should I create a will and living trust in preparation for the 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…
Duterte appeals to health workers to stay in PH
MEDICAL workers are urged to stay in the Philippines as the country continues to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus, President Rodrigo Duterte said on Monday, April 13. The…
USCIS announces ‘flexibility’ for non-immigrants during COVID-19
ON April 13, 2020, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced it will exercise more flexibility for non-immigrants who must depart the U.S. by a certain date, but are now…
Should you modify your child and spousal support obligation if you lose your job?
THE fight against the COVID-19 Pandemic has wreaked havoc on our economy. As a consequence of shutting down the global economy, businesses are forced to lay off a lot of…
Maximizing recovery in personal injury cases
DEAR Attorney Tan, I was driving home and was at a complete stop when another driver rear ended my car. I was not feeling well after the accident, as my…
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…
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…