USCIS Extends Relief Measures for Filipino Typhoon Victims

Release Date: January 14, 2014 USCIS.gov      WASHINGTON – U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) reminds those affected by Typhoon Haiyan, which struck the Philippines on Nov. 8, 2013, of agency efforts to provide relief to victims of the typhoon. Filipino nationals in the United States should visit www.uscis.gov to learn about a series of existing relief measures that may be available to them if requested. These relief measures include: A change or extension of nonimmigrant status for an individual currently in the United States, even when the request is filed after the authorized period of admission has expired; An extension of certain grants of parole made by USCIS; An extension of certain grants of advance parole, and expedited processing of advance parole requests; Expedited adjudication and approval, where possible, of requests for off-campus employment authorization for F-1 students experiencing severe economic hardship; Expedited processing of immigrant petitions for immediate relatives of U.S. citizens; Expedited adjudication of employment authorization applications, where appropriate; and Assistance to LPRs stranded overseas without immigration or travel documents, such as Permanent Resident Cards (Green Cards). USCIS and the Department of State will coordinate on these matters when the LPR is stranded in a place that has no local USCIS office. In addition, USCIS has proactively identified and is expediting pending  I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, forms that have been filed by U.S. citizens for their Filipino immediate relatives. Our standard security checks remain in place. Form I-130 petitioners may check their case status online at www.uscis.gov or contact the National Customer Service Center at 1-800-375-5283 or 1-800-767-1833 (TDD assistance). In addition, a petitioner can sign up to receive automatic case status updates by email as the case is processed. If a Form I-130 petitioner receives a request for evidence or any other type of communication from USCIS, the petitioner’s response must be addressed to the same USCIS Service Center which sent the notice. For more information on USCIS and its programs, please visit www.uscis.gov or follow us on Facebook (/uscis), Twitter (@uscis), YouTube (/uscis) and the USCIS blog The Beacon.

NJ Assembly Democrats News Release: Assembly Panel Approves Bill To Urge TPS for Filipinos

FOR RELEASE                                                                   CONTACT 12/17/2013                                                                              Press office                                                                                          (609) 847-3500

Assembly Panel Approves Johnson, Eustace & Chivukula Bill to Urge Temporary Protected Status for Filipino Nationals in Wake of Typhoon Haiyan (TRENTON) - An Assembly panel recently approved a measure sponsored by Assembly Democrats Gordon M. Johnson, Timothy Eustace and Upendra J. Chivukula to urge the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to grant temporary protected status to visitors from the Philippines following the devastation caused by Typhoon Haiyan. On Friday, November 8th, Typhoon Haiyan, one of the most powerful storms ever recorded on land, hit the Philippines, bringing sustained winds of 147 mph and waves as high as 45 ft. An estimated 6.9 million people have been affected by the storm, and the death toll is estimated to be in the thousands while the number of people displaced by the massive storm rises into the hundreds of thousands. "Typhoon Haiyan has left most of the Philippines ravaged," said Johnson (D-Bergen). "This indeed is a situation that would warrant a suspension of deportation for Philippine nationals." "Many residents in Bergen have been directly affected by what has happened in the Philippines," said Eustace (D-Bergen, Passaic). "With family and friends still there, many Filipinos desire to help their country by remaining here to work. Temporary protected status for Philippine nationals is an important humanitarian gesture that should be granted by the U.S." "Many Filipinos have lost everything," said Chivukula (Middlesex, Somerset). "Deportation possibly puts more lives at risk. The United States prides itself through its humanitarian work all over the world and temporarily ceasing the process would be of great help to some citizens of the Philippines." The Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) may designate a country, or portions of a country, for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) when conditions exist such as an ongoing armed conflict or an environmental disaster in the country that temporarily prevents the country's nationals from returning safely. The measure (AR-207) respectfully urges the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to grant TPS to the Philippines in order to allow nationals residing in the United States temporary relief from possible deportation or removal proceedings. If the United States grants the request, the Philippines will join El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua and Honduras that were placed under TPS after experiencing similar natural disasters. The Assembly resolution was released by the Assembly State Government Committee on December 16.

Department of Foreign Affairs : Philippines asks U.S. to designate the country under Temporary Protected Status

Statement from the DFA: PH asks U.S. to designate the country under Temporary Protected Status

Published: December 16, 2013. Latest update: December 16..., 2013 4:35 pm.
Statement of Assistant Secretary Raul S. Hernandez: On the Temporary Protected Status issue

The Philippines has formally requested the United States Government on Friday, December 13, to designate the country under Temporary Protected Status (TPS).

Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert F. del Rosario said that placing the Philippines under TPS will allow eligible Filipinos to stay and work in the US in order for them to assist in the country’s continuing recovery efforts after Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) devastated Central Visayas last month, killing more than 6,000 people and affecting more than 16 million.

The request will be evaluated first by US authorities and may take some time. If approved, eligible Filipinos can start filing their applications which will be reviewed on a case-to-case basis.

If this request is granted, the Philippines will join four other countries – El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua and Honduras – that were placed under TPS after going through similar natural disasters.

The said request was officially conveyed by Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. to the Department of Homeland Security through a Note Verbale sent to the US Department of State.

http://www.gov.ph/2013/12/16/statement-the-dfa-spokesperson-on-the-temporary-protected-status-tps-issue/

--- WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Philippines has formally requested Washington for additional immigration relief measures to allow eligible Filipinos to stay and work in the United States so they could support the country’s long-term post-typhoon recovery efforts, the Department of Foreign Affairs announced Monday, 16 December.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert F. Del Rosario said the request to designate the Philippines under Temporary Protected Status (TPS) was officially conveyed on Friday, 13 December, by Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. to the Department of Homeland Security through a note verbale to the Department of State.

“Recognizing the intense desire of the Filipino-American Community to more effectively assist victims, we would like to formally request that eligible Filipino nationals in the US be granted Temporary Protected Status under Section 244 of the US Immigration and Nationality Act,” said the letter signed by Ambassador Cuisia and addressed to Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Rand Beers.

The request was made in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan, which killed more than 6,000  people; displaced more than 4 million and affected more than 12 million during its violent rampage across the Central Philippines last month.

More than 200 Filipino-American organizations across the US, backed by members of the US Senate and House of Representatives, the Catholic Church and other NGOs have requested for the additional immigration relief measures that a TPS designation would be able to provide to Filipinos.

Secretary Del Rosario said if the request is granted, the Philippines will join four other countries that were placed under TPS after going through similar natural catastrophes. These are El Salvador and Haiti after these were devastated by earthquakes in 2001 and 2010 respectively and Nicaragua and Honduras after they were affected by Hurricane Mitch in 1998.

Ambassador Cuisia said the Embassy has also been in discussions with the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of State and the DFA in Manila since the TPS was first brought to his attention a few days after Haiyan struck the country.

Ambassador Cuisia said the Philippine Embassy and the Philippine Consulates General in

New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Honolulu and Agana made the recommendation to Secretary Del Rosario during their annual conference in Washington, D.C. last week and after extensive consultations with leaders of the Filipino Community in their respective jurisdictions.

Ambassador Cuisia explained that a TPS designation for the Philippines would allow eligible Filipinos currently in the US to support the long-term relief and rehabilitation efforts in the country because they could be given temporary authorization to stay and work for a limited period.

He said the request will have to first be evaluated by US authorities and may take some time. If approved, eligible Filipinos can start filing their applications, which will be reviewed on a case-to-case basis.

He said that in addition to TPS, Filipinos already in the US can also take advantage of the immigration breaks announced by the US Citizenship and Immigration Service on 15 November of which some Filipinos have already availed themselves.

Source: Embassy of the Philippines

 

PH Seeks Protected Status For Filipinos in the US due to Yolanda

PH seeks protected status for Filipinos in the US due to Yolanda

By: Eric Apolonio, InterAksyon.com
December 16, 2013 5:12 PM

InterAksyon.com
The online news portal of TV5

MANILA, Philippines - Following the deaths and destruction caused by super typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), the Philippines formally requested the U.S. government to place the country under the Temporary Protected Status (TPS), the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Monday. 

The TPS is a temporary immigration status granted to foreigners in the U.S. who are temporarily unable to safely return to their home country because of ongoing armed conflict, an environmental disaster, or other extraordinary and temporary conditions.

If a country is placed under TPS, its eligible citizens may stay and work in the U.S.

A TPS does not, however, lead to a beneficiary’s permanent resident status. If the U.S. government terminates the TPS, beneficiaries would revert to the same immigration status they had before TPS.

Placing the Philippines under TPS will allow eligible Filipinos to stay and work in the U.S. "in order for them to assist in the country's continuing recovery efforts," following the typhoon killing over 6,000 and affecting 16 million Filipinos, the DFA said. 

The request will be evaluated first by US authorities. "If approved, eligible Filipinos can start filing their applications which will be reviewed on a case-to-case basis, the DFA said. 

Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. conveyed the request on December 13 to the Department of Homeland Security through a note verbale sent to the U.S. Department of State.     

If the request is granted, the Philippines will join four other countries - El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua and Honduras – that were placed under TPS after going through similar natural disasters.

Spearheading the drive for the Philippines to be placed under TPS are Filipino community leaders based in New York headed by lawyer JT Mallonga of the Filipino American Legal Defense and Education Fund Inc. and Ed Navarra, chairman of National Federation of Filipino-American Association. 

Earlier Mallonga told newsman that” while we are prepared to exhaust all means to get this to the attention of the President; time is certainly of the essence."  

"(T)his is neither a legal nor a political issue, but a humanitarian one and we hope that our President will act swiftly on this request from literally almost a million Filipinos in the U.S.," added Mallonga. 

 

Source: http://www.interaksyon.com/article/76927/ph-seeks-protected-status-for-filipinos-in-the-us-due-to-yolanda

UNTV Interview: Temporary Protected Status for Filipino Americans

NaFFAA Calls on DHS to Grant Temporary Protected Status to Filipinos

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                      Contact:    Bing Cardenas Branigin

Nov. 22, 2013                                                                               bing.branigin@naffaa-national.org

                                                                                                   Tel. 202-361-1024

                                               

                                                                                                  Jon Melegrito

                                                                                                  jon.melegrito@naffaa-national.org

                                                                                                   Tel: 202-361-0296

                   

FilAm Organizations Urged to Endorse

Extension of TPS

 

 

Washington, D.C.  The National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) is calling on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to designate the Philippines as a country for Temporary Protected Status (TPS).

 

Currently allowed under immigration laws for countries impacted by a natural disaster resulting in a “substantial, but temporary, disruption of living conditions,” TPS will provide temporary immigration relief to undocumented Filipino immigrants presently residing in the U.S.

 

In a letter to DHS Acting Secretary Rand Beers, Navarra  wrote that “this benefit will alleviate their fears of deportation to a devastated country and allow them to work and stay in the US temporarily. With this authorization, Filipino nationals can continue providing material and financial support to the homeland, especially at a time when they are in dire need of help.”

 

J.T. Mallonga, NaFFAA National Vice Chair and President of the Filipino American Legal and Defense Fund (FALDEF), explains that there are precedents where the U.S. administration acted on similar requests. “Following the devastating earthquake which struck Haiti two years ago, the U.S designated TPS to Haitian nationals, allowing them to continue living and working in the country for 18 months,” Mallonga said. “The same should be done to Filipinos, and it must be done soon.” Other nationals from countries devastated by natural disasters, such as Honduras, Sudan and El Salvador, have also been granted TPS before.

 

Mallonga further explains that “while TPS provides temporary legal status for Filipinos already in the US, it will not necessarily lead to permanent residency. Also, TPS does not provide humanitarian aid or legal status for people not already here.  TPS may only be granted for 18 months. Beneficiaries will be granted a temporary employment authorization document as proof of authorized stay in the US for that period.  Qualified TPS applicants will then be allowed to remain in the US with a work permit.  This is only meant to be a temporary immigration benefit.”
          

When the Obama administration announced the designation of TPS for Haitian nationals in 2011, Mallonga notes that the 100,000 - 200,000 Haitian immigrants estimated by the Department of Homeland Security to be in the U.S. without authorization were not subject to deportation. The estimated 270,000 undocumented Filipino immigrants will similarly be given the same benefit if TPS is granted.

 

USCIS Reminds Filipino Nationals Impacted by Typhoon Haiyan of Available Immigration Relief Measures

Source: USCIS
Release Date: November 15, 2013
    

In light of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines (named “Yolanda” by Philippine authorities), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) would like to remind Filipino nationals that they may be eligible for certain immigration relief measures if requested.

USCIS understands that a natural disaster can affect an individual’s ability to establish or maintain lawful immigration status in the United States. Therefore, Filipino nationals impacted by Typhoon Haiyan may be eligible to benefit from the following immigration relief measures:

• Change or extension of nonimmigrant status for an individual currently in the United States, even when the request is filed after the authorized period of admission has expired;
• Extension of certain grants of parole made by USCIS;
• Extension of certain grants of advance parole, and expedited processing of advance parole requests;
• Expedited adjudication and approval, where possible, of requests for off-campus employment authorization for F-1 students experiencing severe economic hardship;
• Expedited processing of immigrant petitions for immediate relatives of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents (LPRs);
• Expedited adjudication of employment authorization applications, where appropriate; and
• Assistance to LPRs stranded overseas without immigration or travel documents, such as Permanent Resident Cards (Green Cards). USCIS and the Department of State will coordinate on these matters when the LPR is stranded in a place that has no local USCIS office.

For more information on USCIS humanitarian programs, visit www.uscis.gov or call the National Customer Service Center at 1-800-375-5283.

Fashion for #ReliefPH : Clothing Sale to Help the Philippines Rebuild

We all want to help the Filipino people. BUT you're not sure what you can do to help. You don't know if what you can offer can make a difference.

There are so many people organizing events (bless their kind hearts). So HERE's a FUN event... that I believe you can have fun and make a BIG difference:

Fashion For Relief: Clothing Sale to Help the Philippines Rebuild

Harnessing the power of fashion to outfit relief efforts after Typhoon Haiyan. A benefit sponsored by Filipino American Legal Defense and Education Fund (FALDEF) and the Philippine Consulate General of NY.

What? Spearheaded by young New York women born in the Philippines, this curated clothing sale will raise funds to directly benefit survivors of the typhoon in the Philippines. They are collecting goods from retailers and fashionable New Yorkers, and pooling everything in one sale event at the Philippine Consulate General, New Yorke. Expect styles from Diane von Furstenberg and other style icons, refreshments, DJ sets, and more!

Why? Stilettos and fur coats won’t help typhoon survivors in the Philippines, but the funds raised from selling fashionable goods will go a long way in purchasing desperately needed supplies. Whether you donate, buy, or both, rest assured that every dollar raised will go directly to relief efforts.

Where and when? Donations accepted at FALDEF, 4 W 43rd Street, New York, NY, from Nov. 15-Nov. 22 noon-5pm. Sale event will be held at the Philippine Consulate General, 556 5th Ave, New York, NY 10036 on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2013 from 11am-4:30pm.

Want to learn more? For the latest updates, visit https://www.facebook.com/philippinesfashionrelief

Stand Up For Immigrants: A Public Forum on Immigration

 

 

Dear Friends of Immigrants & Migrants,

 

Peace and all good!

 

I am pleased to invite you to take part in a public forum on immigration reform.

 

Stand Up For Immigrants: a public forum on immigration

Saturday, November 2, 2013, 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.

San Damiano Hall, Church of St. Francis of Assisi

127 West 31st Street, New York, NY 10001

 

At this free public forum, a panel of immigration attorneys will provide an overview of the current state of the U.S. immigration system; an update on the efforts of Congress to pass an immigration reform law; and a proposal for genuine immigration reform.

 

This event will mark the launching of The Migrant Center at the Church of St. Francis of Assisi. The Migrant Center is a church ministry that aims to provide pastoral care and advocate for the protection of the rights of immigrants.

 

Towards the end of the forum, leaders from different immigrant/migrant organizations and institutions will be signing a statement of support for our immigrant/migrant brothers and sisters.  This will be sent to government officials and politicians making them aware of the urgent need for a comprehensive immigration reform bill.

 

Attached are fliers, in English and Spanish, which includes directions to the venue.  Please help publicize the event by forwarding the fliers to your network of contacts and friends.

 

I am looking forward to your participation in this noble effort to support our immigrant sisters and brothers.

 

Very truly yours,

 

Fr. Julian S. Jagudilla, OFM

Director

The Migrant Center at the Church of St. Francis of Assisi

 

15 Year Old Filipino-American New Jersey Resident, Kirby Asunto, Gives Back To The Community

(Kirby Asunto with Rev. Fr. Edgardo P. Jocson, Pastor of St. Elizabeth of Hungary Roman Catholic Church in Linden, NJ)

 

Every up and coming singer remembers the first time they realized singing is their passion. For New Jersey based Kirby Asunto, it came when she was but four years old.

 

She first began to warble at the age of 2, even before she started to read!  At 4 years old, she came home from school and announced to her mother that she joined a singing contest at her school. During that time, she learned to sing various songs by listening to the music of Barney, an American children's television show character. Since then, Asunto joined the singing contest every year and also took voice lessons to fulfill her dreams of one day being a professional singer.

 

In 2006, Asunto, together with her family, migrated from the Philippines to the United States. Wanting to further her singing career, she joined singing competitions such as The Access Broadway. She was met with success by becoming the Regional and National champion.

 

She has earned high recognition in the Filipino-American communities in NJ, NY, CT and DC even in her tender age. In addition to performing at various events, she also has, under her belt, the grand champion of the Philippine Fiesta Grand Idol singing competition and a performance at one of the biggest Korean shows in the US. There is the added  highlight of having wowed the crowd in the New York Knicks vs. San Antonio Spurs in Madison Square Garden in 2011.