What constitutes ‘lawful admission’ to the US?
THE Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) has restored its prior ruling that “admission” for the purposes of a later adjustment of status means a procedurally regular admission, and not an…
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Meet the USCIS Entrepreneurs in Residence Tactical Team
USCIS has partnered with business experts to improve the way we approach the employment-based and high-skilled visa categories used by immigrant entrepreneurs. Director Alejandro Mayorkas kicked-off this innovative program, called…
The Scarborough (Af)fair
YOU might be wondering how a foreign-sounding “group of islands and reefs in an atoll shape” can be found in Philippine waters. According to a dead-linked source from Wikipedia (Diary…
Things you should know about Loan Modification scams
LOAN Modification Scams are growing like wild fire and its consider white collar crime. In my opinion these types of crime are hard to prosecute and if prosecuted it gets…
Dr. Rommel G. Bacabac, Multi-awarded Scientist and Professor
EVERY two years, from around the world, the European Society of Biomechanics (ESB) gives its most prestigious award, the S.M. Perren Research Award, to the first author of the best…
Don’t tell me – show me!
“UNLESS I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nail marks and put may hand into his side, I will not believe.”…
Proposed Provisional Waiver of Unlawful Presence
USCIS has published a very important proposed change in processing petitions for certain alien relatives called “Provisional Unlawful Presence Waivers of Inadmissibility for Certain Immediate Relatives.” How does this proposed…
Violence on television
The cultures of corruption and of violence in society are close cousins, if not twins. They are intertwined. Where there is corruption, there is violence, and vice versa. Violence is…
10 commandments of the Gokongweis in family business
No in-laws! THIS is the first of 10 unwritten commandments which John Gokongwei, founder of the Gokongwei group of companies, followed in running the family business “the Gokongwei way.” (I…
Independent contractor on 1099-MISC?
TAXPAYERS who have filed income tax returns using Schedule C, Profit or Loss from Business, usually get surprised when they receive a notice from the Los Angeles City requiring them…
Obama’s help for ‘responsible homeowners’
WE HAVE been getting a lot of calls in regards to the new Obama Refinancing Programs and the supposedly more aggressive “Loan Modification Programs” that is geared more towards “Responsible…
Cora Basa Cortes Tomalinas, Multi-Awarded Community Activist
Dealing with rebellious children amidst a drug epidemic in the 1980s, Corazon “Cora” Basa Cortes Tomalinas knew she had to do something or lose her children for good. She lived…
H-1B season starts
THE H-1B visa category opened again recently. As usual, we are seeing much interest by individuals and employers seeking obtain the H-1B nonimmigrant visa. In the last two years, the…
An Easter message
DURING the Chrism Mass last Monday at the Cathedral of Los Angeles, Archbishop Jose H. Gomez told us, the priests of the archdiocese, to value our priesthood — for God…
The new competitive edge: Spirituality in business
Society is becoming more individually oriented. More and more single occupancy homes are being sold. People are marrying less and later in life. They are also divorcing more. Single parent…
Let it all hang out
If senator-judge and presiding officer Juan Ponce Enrile will not allow Corona’s defense lawyers to present the SALN of legislators and cabinet secretaries, as well as that of President Noynoy…
What about the new Waiver Law?
Question: I have been married for 12 years to a US citizen, but have always been afraid to file anything. I heard that I will have to file the Waiver…
I want out: Dissolution or legal separation?
When the marital relationship sours to the point where one or both spouses believe that the marriage cannot be salvaged, three remedies are available to terminate or alter the marital…
Mammogram controversy
There is public uproar and protests from the medical community against the US Health and Human Services Department about the recent guidelines issued by the US Preventive Services Task Force…
H-1B filing underway for FY 2013
THE H-1B visa quota for FY 2013 officially opened up on Sunday, April 1, 2012, making 65,000 new H-1B regular visa numbers available for new employment beginning on October 1,…
Wanted: A Mega stroke of luck
AS WE go to press, the whole nation is in a lottery frenzy, awaiting the nerve-wracking results of the Mega Millions jackpot, which is now estimated at $640-million – an…
FHA 3.5% down purchase money fees increase dramatically while refinancing costs decline
EFFECTIVE June, 2012: Fees for refinancing will fall sharply, as the upfront mortgage insurance decreases to 0.01 percent of the base loan amount, from 1 percent, starting on June 11….
Rigoberto C. Advincula, Ph.D, World-Class Pinoy Scientist
HERE is a highly elite group of intelligent and gifted scientists, whose breakthrough achievements have made an impact on the lives of people — both at present, and for future…
The new waiver process (not law yet)
ON JAN. 6, 2012, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) posted a notice of intent in the Federal Register outlining its plan to reduce the time that US citizens are…
A Palm Sunday message
AS WE celebrate Palm Sunday this year, to commemorate the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem before his Passion, Death, and Resurrection, I invite you to reflect on the words of…
The battle to end child labor
Alarmed by the report of the International Labor Organization (ILO) that approximately 2.4 million minors aged nine to 17 are already working in the country, the Philippine government has recently…
Warning: Drug resistant TB
ONE of the easiest to catch infectious diseases is pulmonary tuberculosis. And most often than not, people get infected without even knowing they have it and who and where they…
Caught in the middle
WITH all the ballyhoo surrounding the North Korean rocket launch (expected to take place between April 12 and 16), the safety and security of the 50,000 Filipinos living in South…
USCIS to accept H-1B petitions for FY 2013 beginning April 2, 2012
WASHINGTON — US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently announced that it will begin accepting H-1B petitions subject to the Fiscal Year (FY) 2013 cap on Monday April 2, 2012. …
IRS hires thousands of new auditors
ON A typical Tuesday during this tax season, I’ve had three new tax clients (who were previously with other preparers) – all of them have just recently been audited on…