EB-5 Investor Visa program developments
THE USCIS Service Centers have recently received guidance and new instructions for their adjudicators relating to the timing of creating new jobs and explaining the meaning of “full-time” for positions…
Read More
Scrambling for low-hanging fruits
TIME flies so fast. I can’t believe it was in 1991 (21 years ago) that I got a call from Freddie Garcia about ABS-CBN’s plan to enter the US market in…
Personal assets should be kept separate from company assets
THERE’S an old saying that may be wiser today than ever: “East is east, and west is west; and never the twain shall meet.” This holds true in the case…
Preserving the Wonder Walled City and the For
The recent news of the inclusion of Fort Santiago and Intramuros to the top 10 list of the Global Heritage Fund’s most endangered historical sites can be a little alarming…
I waited 15 years and now my petitioner died: Now what?
QUESTION: My father petitioned me 15 years ago and it was just about current, but he just died. Now, what happens and can I still come to the US? Answer:…
Pressed for freedom
In a global survey of media independence (conducted by Washington-based Freedom House) the Philippines was able to raise its ranking — from a previous standing of 93, it is now…
An open letter to PH President
Apr 25,2012 His Excellency Benigno S Aquino III President of Philippines Subject: Bring Home our Elderly and Disabled Abroad Dear Mr. President: While you are focused in the economic development…
Is your short sale agent doing a good job for you?
SHORT selling your home is such an important and stressful step in your life and it’s the springboard into your future so you wont have anymore sleepless nights. It is…
Mataw Guro Louelle Lledo Jr., US President’s Volunteer Awardee and Founder of Amara Arkanis
Moving America Through Martial Arts For his extensive work preserving and promoting Filipino Martial Arts in the United States, Luis Rafael ‘Louelle’ Lledo, Jr. received an unexpected award from one…
CA court’s power to make divorce orders
THIS is a common question among people contemplating divorce in California when the other spouse does not live in the state. The California Courts has the power to grant a…
Overusing your visitor’s visa could spell trouble
Dear Atty. Gurfinkel: I have a 10-year multiple B-1/B-2 visa. Recently, I went to the US for a vacation, and was given 6 months to stay in the US by…
Keeping the faith: On Catholic school education
IT’S NOT a secret – US Catholic schools are struggling with low enrollment. Years ago, some children would even be on “waiting list” of acceptance, hoping to get in a…
Over-using your visitor’s visa could spell trouble
Dear Atty. Gurfinkel: I have a 10-year multiple B-1/B-2 visa. Recently, I went to the US for a vacation, and was given 6 months to stay in the US by…
Scary electronic fraud
The mind-boggling advances in wireless technology have ushered in great wonders to the world. Like any good discoveries that are benefiting humanity as a whole, some of these inventions, in…
ICE releases key statistics on prosecutorial discretion
ON April 16, 2012, the US Immigration & Customs Enforcement (USICE) released key statistics regarding its prosecutorial discretion initiative that began last year. Since November 2011, USICE has been reviewing…
The river will be running soon
The Pasig River is a flowing bed of memories. Rivers are known to be carvers of culture and prosperity and the Pasig has been a benevolent entity to countless generations…
Strategic defaulting: A moral issue ?
Dear Ken, WE ARE thinking about walking away from our home. We purchased our home in 2005 for $457,000. In December of 2006 we got a 2nd mortgage HELOC of…
Can I get an H-1B finally?
QUESTION: I have an employer willing to sponsor me. What is a ‘specialty occupation’ and can I get an H-1B? Answer: The job must meet one of the following criteria…
Mary Rose Peralta, 2012 Administrator of the Year (ACSA Region 18) Awardee – Middle Grades Principal Category
THE largest umbrella organization for school leaders in America, the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) is made up of more than 16,000 school leaders. One of ACSA’s priorities is…
It’s still Easter Sunday at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church!
MY parish, Immaculate Heart of Mary, has a lot to celebrate nowadays! Besides celebrating a successful and well-attended celebration of its centennial year, St. Anthony Messenger, a national Catholic magazine,…
Taking on Goliath
THE current standoff with the Chinese over the Spratleys at Panatag Shoal will get worse before it gets better. What are we to do as a country and as a…
Gokongweis’ commandment no. 3: No conflict of interest
“TO set aside one’s prejudices, one’s present needs, and one’s own self interest in making a decision as a director for a company is an intellectual exercise that takes constant…
Overcoming the ‘Public Charge’ Ground of Inadmissibility
As far back as he could remember, Doogie wanted to grow up to be a doctor. Upon his graduation from college his family immigrated to the United States. However, instead…
Making waves
PICTURESQUE beaches. Teeming diverse marine life in and around the Philippine waters. Marvelous dive sites. A perfect getaway, more reasons to consider why “It’s more fun in the Philippines.” While…
Leaving the US with Advance Parole is not a ‘departure’
REVERSING years of its own jurisprudence and in opposition to various Federal Court interpretations, the Board of Immigration Appeals issued a case holding that a departure from the US pursuant…
Baguio beckons
It’s summertime and the heat is on. One can feel it building, the waft of warm air into the nostrils heading straight to the lungs. Clothes becoming heavy and skin…
Estate planning: It’s never too early or too late
T WAS a typical appointment on a busy tax season last April. A representative for a Hispanic male in his mid-60s visited my office for a living trust preparation. So…
Fr. Edwin Gariguez, Recipient of the Goldman Environmental Prize
FOR Father Edwin “Edu” Gariguez, the environment of Mindoro (his hometown province) is worth dying for. Gariguez (better known as Fr. Edu) has long been recognized as the man leading…
Revisiting the 245(i) law
ALTHOUGH over ten years have passed since the most recent amendment pertaining to the law commonly referred to as “245i” was enacted, the law remains to be the subject of…
Intimacy with God
“LOOK at my hands, and my feet, that it is I, myself. Touch me and see me… he showed them his hands and his feet.” This was how the Disciples…