Covering the week’s most noteworthy immigration news impacting the Filipino-American and Global Filipino community.
Beginning August 2013, the visa availability for F2A category of family based petitions will be current. Historically, the wait for this category was 3-4 years. The F2A category consists of…
Almost immediately after the US Supreme Court declared the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) unconstitutional, both Secretary of State John Kerry and Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, pledged their…
JUST weeks after the US Supreme Court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act’s (DOMA) definition of “marriage” in Windsor v. US as a union between male and female spouses,…
Parents that are going through divorce and legal separation sometimes have to make a decision to move out of state for various reasons. It may be because their family network…
MARIA is currently visiting her husband, Joselito, in the United States. She came to the United States on a valid visitor’s visa with her 10 year-old son. Joselito and Maria…
BY Order of Discharge of Debtor dated April 1, 2013, the US Bankruptcy Court, Central District of California, in Los Angeles, discharged a consultant of a freight forwarder from the…
In a previous article, I discussed that commencing August 1, 2013, the priority date for F- 2A petitions (spouses and minor children of green card holders) will be current. This…
THE processing times for some applications pending at the US Citizenship & Immigration Services (“USCIS”) are longer than ever before. The USCIS holds a monopoly over all immigrants applying for…
Despite their right to live and work in the U.S. permanently, lawful permanent resident (LPR) aliens may be removed from the U.S. due to criminal behavior or prohibited conduct. During…
Marriage fraud is a serious immigration violation with lasting consequences. An I-130 immigrant petition based on a fraudulent marriage would be denied. Additionally, under INA 204(c), no petition shall be…
Question: I have been a victim of crime and also my friend was basically a slave for her employer. What can we do? Answer: There are different types of visas…
The August 2013 priority dates have phenomenal news for spouses and minor children of green cardholders (Category F – 2A). That is because the priority date is CURRENT! That means that…
Almost immediately after the US Supreme Court declared the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) unconstitutional, both Secretary of State John Kerry and Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, pledged their…
ON June 27, 2013, the US the Senate passed its version of Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CIR) by a resounding 68-32 vote. S. 744, or the “Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and…
Question: Can you describe what the landmark case of the Supreme Court has issued and ruled? Answer: In short, the United States Supreme Court has ruled that DOMA is unconstitutional,…
The Immigration Marriage Fraud Amendments of 1986 (IMFA) requires an alien obtaining a green card through a marriage less than two years old to come back at the end of…
Recently, the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) ruled that a child could receive a green card through a step parent’s petition, even if the child’s natural parent is not eligible…
ON Wednesday, June 26, 2013, the US Supreme Court issued its decision in Windsor v. US, which ruled that the Federal DOMA, passed in 1996, is unconstitutional. The decision,…
QUESTION: I got into a minor criminal situation and now I am very afraid that I will be placed into deportation proceedings. What can I do? Answer: There are several…
June 26, 2013 is a historic day for gay and lesbian couples. The Supreme Court of the United States ruled that the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is unconstitutional, and…
THE debate over the United States economy and dearth of high-tech workers has spotlighted the H-1B professional working visa in the press. Nonetheless, Congress has been slow to respond in…
ON June 10, 2013, Commissioner Martin R. Gladstein of Department 2 of the Valencia, California Court, ordered restitution payment as in a civil judgment, pursuant to Penal Code Section 1202.4(i)….
Right now, the full Senate has begun debating on the new immigration reform proposal which was approved and forwarded by the Senate Judiciary Committee. It is expected that senators will…
The decision to terminate one’s marriage typically brings to the forefront many issues all at once. Issues pertaining to property, support, and child custody need to be addressed in a…
Aliens who commit drug offenses may become inadmissible or deportable. Inadmissibility means that an alien is ineligible to receive a visa or he cannot be admitted into the U.S. based…
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…
ON June 11, 2013, President Obama pushed the US Congress to send him a bill by fall providing for Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CIR), just as the full US Senate began…
DRIVING under the influence (DUI) of alcohol or narcotics is a serious threat to public safety. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported that over 1.4 million drivers were…
Question: I was ordered deported, but ICE is not deporting me. Can you let me know what is going on with this situation? Answer: You are probably on an order…
There are only so many immigrant visas available (or allocated) for your country each year. Many people under petition are confused and mystified about the priority date on their petition,…
