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 priority date is a person’s “place in line” for a visa, meaning immigrant visas (or green cards) would be available for persons whose priority date…
LAST week, we as a nation took part in the age-old tradition and privilege of making our voices heard through casting a vote for our preferred candidates in our local, state, and presidential elections. In the wake of the announcement of the election results, many of you might be asking yourselves “what does this mean…
What is calcium? Calcium is a hard, silvery metallic element with an atomic number of 20 and an atomic weight of 40.078. It is a mineral found in bones, teeth and other body tissues. Calcium is essential to the human diet and people normally ingest between 600 to 1400 mg. per day. It is indispensable…
JANUARY 31, 2017 is the new deadline for filing 2016 Forms W-2 and W-3 both in paper forms and electronic. If you need 30-day extension complete Form 8809. There are penalties for the late filing of W2s for employee compensation payments and Form1099 Misc for non-employee compensation payments in box 7.These penalties are based on…
AS its name suggests, Thanksgiving is a holiday centered on giving thanks for the numerous blessings in our lives. During the meal — whether held at lunch or dinnertime — it is tradition to go around and answer the question, “What are you grateful for?” But beyond the significance of the holiday, it is known…
What happens in Vegas, doesn’t always stay in Vegas. For Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Director General Ronal “Bato” Dela Rosa, his recent sojourn to Las Vegas, Nevada could have easily been a trip of a lifetime. He was there last November 5, to witness Sen. Manny Pacquiao slug it out with Mexican-American boxer Jessie…
Thanksgiving is a particularly American holiday. The word evokes images of football, family reunions, roasted turkey with stuffing, pumpkin pie and, of course, shopping. However, the holiday is much more than that. In 1609, a group of Puritans fleeing religious persecution in England moved to Holland. They -lived in Holland for a number of…
WAR is a filthy tragedy — but it has always been like that. The violent age that was the Renaissance, then the Roman Empire, while the golden age was in Greece. When reporters describe people dying in war, are you helping abolish war? What is the magic attraction to war, and the risk and defiance…
Prevalent peace and order, unperturbed nature and ecological wonders, world-class accommodations, and the genuine hospitality of the people boost up the prospects for tourist influx into Davao City and surrounding areas. A group of major travel operators and media representatives from Japan literally made the discovery of Davao City’s best-kept secrets during a four-day visit…
WHEN Filipino-American Catherine Garvey woke up on the morning after the historic presidential election, she knew the “status quo was over.” “I couldn’t sit idly by and just accept that this was our new leader,” an impassioned Garvey, 24, told the Asian Journal. “We have to fight for progression.” Garvey is a sociology student at UCLA…
THE H-1B visa enables foreign professionals from all over the world to live and work in the United States (“U.S.”). It is a particularly great option for international students whose academic program or practical training is near-completion. Through the H-1B visa program, U.S. employers can temporarily hire foreign professionals for specialty occupations in the U.S….
“IT’S not really just serving someone’s vanity but more like making a difference in a person’s self-esteem. You help them feel better about their physical appearance and ultimately about themselves. I fell in love with the profession of being indirectly involved in changing a person’s lifestyle but somehow directly changing their life on a deeper…
“BUT for you who fear my name, there will arise the sun of justice with its rays of healing.” — (Malachi 3:19-20) Many of us are deeply concerned about the things that are going on in the world today. Our generation has seen enormous violence, war, and poverty and destructions of societies. Our generation has not…
CLIENT is 58. He is not divorced but separated for 20 years. His income is good. He nets about $7K to $8K a month. He lives by himself and does not even own a car. He goes carpooling with a relative to go to work. His rent is $800 a month. So, he doesn’t really…
THE Uber app allows riders to call, arrange and pay for taxi cab rides and other transportation services electronically via their mobile phone. On September 9, 2012, Caren Ehret used the UberTAXI option to arrange for a taxi ride in her city. When she signed up for the taxi driver to come pick her up,…
QUESTION: I contributed money which I saved before the marriage into purchasing a property during the marriage which I acquired with my spouse in joint name. During the marriage we cashed out most of the equity in that house to purchase several properties. The first house we purchased no longer has a lot of equity …
IF you are unable pay all your taxes owed to the IRS, you may make an offer to pay a smaller sum to fully pay all taxes, penalties, and interests. This is called Offer in Compromise (OIC for short). Let’s discuss the pros and cons of OIC. Advantages: If the offer is accepted, you will…
AS we prepare to wrap up another year, I still see a lot of families who are at the end of their financial rope with no place to turn for help with all types of debt problems. Some of them are paralyzed and feel stuck in their situation, unable to move forward and afraid that…
BORROWING the term used by former US Vice-President Al Gore to sound the alarm about global warming, I believe there are certain inconvenient truths that need to be confronted concerning the war on drugs being waged by President Rodrigo Duterte. I think the first inconvenient truth is that, no matter what the anti-Duterte factions and…
AMERICA has spoken — business mogul and reality TV star Donald Trump will be the 45th President of the United States, defeating his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton in a surprising turn of events on November 8, election day. I could not be more proud of President Barack Obama and Sec. Hillary Clinton for going past…
Getting old is a natural thing and no one must not be afraid of the natural. Trees age, as well as animals and everything that is alive. I am not afraid to look old. I don’t know indifference, I ignore bitterness. If something unpleasant happens to me, I put it behind. Women in that certain…
IT’S been three days (as of this writing) since more than 15 policemen of the Eastern Visayas Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) motored for several hours from their headquarters in Tacloban City, to arrive in Baybay City in the wee hours of the morning, occupied the sub-provincial jail, disarmed its warden and guards, and…
People are justifiably concerned, anxious, and even terrified over Donald Trump’s proposed plan to deport the approximate 11 million undocumented immigrants in the US. However, let’s remember that the executive branch does NOT pass laws, nor is the president in charge of funding or the budget. Those powers, duties, and functions belong to Congress, as…
(Part 3) FOR many people, attaining US citizenship is the final step in achieving their “American Dream.” After getting a green card, they eagerly count off the years until they are finally eligible to apply for naturalization. However, for some people, applying for citizenship could cause problems, issues, and even being stripped of their green…
ON December 23, 2016, the filing fees for most petitions and applications filed with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will increase. The current filing fee for an application for naturalization is $680. Effective December 23, 2016, the filing for this application will now be $725. Other commonly filed applications and petitions and their…
(Part 2 of 2) Every nation’s immigration rules and regulations seek to weed out ‘undesirables’ or ‘deplorables’ maybe – those with the propensity for malicious mischief or simply, to do harm. The United States is no exception. When a foreigner commits a crime and gets convicted, the steps toward the path to citizenship will be …
IF you are, hold that glass and do not say “cheers or ganbei” yet until you read the information on urine therapy in this column. Informational technology is a wonderful gift to humankind. But just like anything else which makes access to tons of data easy and widespread, interpretation of the information or its abuse…
KEEP a low audit profile. It reduces risk of an audit. Here are some tips to keep the IRS from auditing your tax returns: • Make sure that social security numbers and names that you use on your income tax match exactly what appear on your social security cards. An incorrect number or name causes…
THE headline back home in the Philippines eclipsed the U.S. Presidential Election last November 8. The Supreme Court of the Philippines just ruled that the remains of the deposed dictator Ferdinand Marcos may be buried in the Libingan ng mga Bayani. The highest court’s 9-5 decision ended a decade-long debate: did Marcos deserve to be…
THE burial of Former Pres. Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani (Heroes’ Cemetery) was given a go signal by the Supreme Court on Tuesday, Nov. 8. Voting 9-5, the high court has put an end to the highly contested and heavily debated issue, dismissing the petition filed by human rights groups, and victims…
