Covering the week’s most noteworthy immigration news impacting the Filipino-American and Global Filipino community.
I RECENTLY had a consultation where a mother’s confusion and lack of understanding of immigration law resulted in her delaying filing a petition for her minor child for approximately eight…
“MY brother’s neighbor’s girlfriend’s uncle had the same exact case and it got approved and they did not use an attorney.” I’ve heard this many times to have developed a…
OVER the weekend, President Donald Trump cancelled the massive Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids of undocumented immigrants that were scheduled for Sunday, June 23. Trump’s reversal came hours before…
DEAR Attorney Tan, I have an approved I-140 immigrant petition which was filed by Company A on my behalf. Company A would like to employ me as a bookkeeper. …
“Depending on your English ability and comfort level, you can either study on your own or take a class. “ THE naturalization interview is the last stage you need to embark…
FOR most families, their 401K retirement plan from work is the second largest asset an average family holds (second only to their family residence). How is this treated in a…
NOONG isang linggo ay aking tinalakay ang I-601A Provisional Unlawful Presence Waiver. Ito ay iba sa I-601 Waiver of Grounds of Inadmissibility na aking tatalakayin ngayon. Ang I-601A Waiver…
CASE example: I-751 applications. In her article entitled “Agency Delays Enact the Administration’s Immigration Agenda” Sandra Feist examines the processing delays currently plaguing one particular application: the Removal of Conditions…
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…
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…
ANG isang dayuhan na ineligible sa pagkuha ng green card sa loob ng US dahil sa unlawful presence ay maaaring mag-apply ng I-601A Provisional Unlawful Presence Waiver bago siya umalis…
A POSTNUPTIAL agreement is a contract between you and your spouse entered into after you get married resolving issues in your marriage. It is similar to a prenuptial agreement except…
“MY brother’s neighbor’s girlfriend’s uncle had the same exact case and it got approved and they did not use an attorney.” I’ve heard this many times to have developed a…
RECENTLY, the USCIS announced it will be closing its Manila field office. This has created a lot of confusion and panic among Filipinos. Some people are asking that with the…
AN action under the DVPA (Domestic Violence Protection Act) seeking a restraining order often is necessary to protect parties from abuse or domestic violence perpetrated by the other spouse or…
SEVERAL options exist for a US citizen to bring his/her foreign-national fiancé(e) to the United States. One popular option is to marry the fiancé(e) in the country in which he/she…
ANG U classification ay nagbibigay ng nonimmigrant status sa mga dayuhang biktima ng “qualifying criminal activity”. Noong naging batas ang Victims of Trafficking and Violence Prevention Act of 2000 na…
THE United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) office in Manila will shut down as part of the Trump administration’s decision to cease operations of the agency’s 23 international locations….
DEAR Atty. Gurfinkel: I am a U.S. citizen, and petitioned my sister and her family in 1995. It has now been almost 25 years, and nothing seems to be happening…
ON June 4, 2019, CBS News reports that House Democrats passed its latest version of the DREAM Act, called the DREAM and Promise Act of 2019. The bill will be…
Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs), which are considered the fastest-growing minority group, are encouraged to participate in the upcoming 2020 Census despite concerns about privacy and language barriers. During…
The United States State Department on Friday, May 31, issued a policy that requires visa applicants to provide the details of their social media accounts including their usernames, previous email…
H.R. 6 would give millions of undocumented youth and other eligible immigrants under TPS and DED a path toward permanent resident status On Tuesday, June 4 Democratic-led House of Representatives…
Two months after being granted asylum in Canada, Filipina Vanessa Rodel and her 7-year-old daughter Keana, who helped shelter whistleblower Edward Snowden in Hong Kong, are settling into life in…
COUPLES get divorced for various reasons. California is a no fault state. The reasons why a couple is getting divorced are often irrelevant to the issues of the family law…
NOONG isang linggo ay aking tinalakay ang pagkuha ng green card sa pamamagitan ng VAWA self-petition. Kahit ang batas ay tinatawag na Violence Against Women Act, ang VAWA ay naaangkop…
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…
ON May 23, 2019, Pres. Trump issued a memorandum to strictly enforce obligations under affidavits of support (Form I-864), including: • Seeking reimbursement from sponsors when the sponsored alien receives…
“The first step is to make sure that any injuries that you have suffered in the accident are examined and treated. You can recover treatment costs since they are considered…
DIVORCED parties are sometimes ordered to pay child support and spousal support in the divorce judgment. The support orders are generally based on the parties’ financial situation and custody arrangements…
