Immigration court appeals: Make your last chance count!
EACH year, I consult with hundreds of individuals who have been ordered to leave the US by Immigration Judges. In the vast majority of these cases, the person had applied…
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Getting there
Once again, they had their chances. Pitted against the competition, they fought it out, and the outcome was somehow satisfactory. With the afterglow of its successful golden campaign in the…
Bankruptcy: Lose your debts, not your sanity
IF YOU’VE ever been in a situation in your life where you had to file bankruptcy as a last resort in order to get out of debt, you know exactly…
Dying to look good
To take the risk of possible death from surgery that is necessary to save life or to maintain or restore health makes intelligent sense. But to die from an elective…
On being the least of all
WE often hear that “politics” exists not only in governments but also in corporations, schools, civic organizations, and even in churches. We find this contention to be true when we…
Give me a break: Who really won in that lunch break case?
Q: I HEARD that the Supreme Court recently decided a case about the employer’s obligation to provide lunch breaks. Some say the employers won the case. But others say the…
DACA program off to a jump start
JUST one month into the Obama Administration’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program (DACA) more than 75,000 applications for deferred action and work authorization have been submitted to the USCIS….
The Voice of Filipino-Canadians
WHEN Canada’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper made his appointments to the Senate in Canada, no one was more surprised than Filipino Canadian Tobias Enverga Jr. Enverga, a long-time bank executive,…
A tale of two DUIs: One with enhancement and the other without
On February 19, 2012 and May 26, 2012, respectively, two males of Filipino descent committed driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI) as first offenders in Glendale, California. The Mercedez…
Old debts from the past have a way of coming back to haunt you
IF YOU are like a lot of people who have old, unpaid debts, collection accounts and judgments from their past that they don’t even remember, you may feel that it…
The October 2012 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…
Billion germs in the kitchen!
Yes, billion microorganisms! That’s not a typo. That’s how many unwanted and potentially dangerous bugs there are on average in almost any kitchen. So, it is not the bathroom that…
Reinstating A Deceased Petitioner’s Family Based Petition
It is very common for beneficiaries of family based petition to wait many years before their petition’s priority date becomes current. This is usually the case with US Citizen parent…
Fil-Am Stories: Nic Belasco
THE mark of a great athlete is his ability to transcend generations of spectators. In the past, the glory of being an athlete was immortalized in poetry and the other…
The purpose of prayer
A FEW days ago, I was telling my parishioners in a homily about a Catholic priest who was traveling by train through Siberia. Sitting next to him in the train…
How can I bring in an orphan to the US?
QUESTION: I want to petition an orphan. What must I do? Answer: A USC can petition for an orphan under age 16. In order to be an orphan, both parents…
Refinance your mortgage without extending the term
OBVIOUSLY, the simplest way to refinance without extending the term is to select a new mortgage with a shorter term. How do you refinance your 30 year loan after paying…
Shooting for the stars
Lloyd Manglapus’ work is literally out of this world. The 42-year-old Manglapus is one of two Pinoys part of NASA’s historic and newest Mars rover called “Curiosity,” as it roams…
The ‘Outstanding’ Doctor
FILIPINO physician Dr. Edsel Maurice Tanghal Salvana might as well have “outstanding” as his middle name. Recently elected as one of the 2012 Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the World…
Are your debt problems forcing you into bankruptcy?
ARE you having problems paying your debts? Are creditors calling you day and night threatening you with a wage garnishment, repossession or foreclosure? Are you starting to feel hopeless and…
Moderating The Greed At DOTC?
In spite of the brickbats hurled at Noynoy Aquino by his detractors, I continue to believe he is sincere in his vow to carve a Daang Matuwid or Straight Path…
The Republican and Democratic platforms on immigration
The Democrats and Republicans have held their conventions where they nominated their presidential candidates and released their respective party’s platform – representing who they are, what they stand for, their…
Citizens of nowhere
After patiently waiting for more than 100 years for the government to provide them with automatic citizenship rights, the American Samoan community has filed suit against the US Government. Our…
Healthy smile, healthy outlook
WHILE each dentist may focus on different priorities in their practices, we all preach the same mantra: Take care of your teeth, and they’ll take care of you. Teeth begin…
West Nile Virus Outbreak
This year, the worst ever outbreak of West Nile virus happened in the United States where 1,993 persons were infected and 87 were killed, the number tripling in just two weeks….
How to avoid taxes in case of foreclosure, short sale or loan modification
As we all know, the recent global financial crisis has forced thousands of homeowners to give up their homes through foreclosures. To make matters worse, these homeowners had to contend…
11 years after
THE tragedy of 9/11 will forever be etched in the memories of billions of people all over the world. On the morning of September 11, 2001, news of passenger planes…
For the love of books
To open a book is an act that could change lives. Among the early progenitors of the book were the Egyptians who decided to write on papyrus for ideas to…
On living generously
I WAS telling my close friend about his personal qualities. “I admire your intelligence, prayerfulness, and convivial nature,” I said. “But what I admire most about you is your genuine…
Will I have any problems if I go home for a vacation?
Dear Atty. Gurfinkel: I have a 10-year multiple B-1/B-2 visa. I entered the US, and was given six months by the Immigration Officer at the airport, but overstayed by only…