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Rod Pangesban’s months-long journey to a fiancé visa
By Cristina DC Pastor Rodrigo Pangesban and Alex Esteban met in Baguio in February of 2016, fell in love amid a sea of blooming flowers, and wed in New York the following year. If you think that was fast, wait till you hear how their application for a fiancé visa went by as if in […]
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333K Filipinos languishing in family petition wait list, NaFFAA calls for compassion
By Cristina DC Pastor The Philippines ranks behind Mexico for having the biggest number of family-based petitions, at 333,564 Filipinos waiting to join their families in the U.S. There are more than 1.25 million Mexicans in the immigration wait list. According to the latest figures from the National Visa Center’s November 2017 report to the […]
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New York is a bittersweet posting for Vice Consul Tanya Faye Ramiro
By Cristina DC Pastor Vice Consul Tanya Faye Ramiro used to visit NYC when her mother was working in the city. Now that she is Vice Consul at the Philippine Consulate, her mother is no longer around. On December 5, 2014, Gloria Jean Ramiro – who worked as a private chef for an affluent family […]
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A night filled with emotions as TOFA awardees reflect on their immigrant journeys
By Cristina DC Pastor “I left the room after my speech; I had to cry.” Avant-garde fashion designer Rocky Gathercole was heard saying to friends after the TOFA Awards at Carnegie Hall where he was among the 15 The Outstanding Filipinos in America for 2017. Accepting the award, Gathercole said he couldn’t believe he would […]
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‘What do we do if ICE comes to our house?’ and other DACA questions FilAms ask
By Mariel Padilla Standing in a circle, holding hands and chanting, “it is our duty to fight for our freedom; we have nothing to lose but our chains,” a room full of Filipino activists ended a two-hour-long emergency DACA meeting on Friday, Sept. 8. Members of the National Alliance for Filipino Concerns (NAFCON), Anakbayan New […]
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On NaFFAA’s 20th year, honoring its past and recognizing its legacy
This October, several events are being planned to celebrate this milestone, which coincides with the national observance of Filipino American History Month. They will culminate with NaFFAA’s 20th Anniversary Gala, to be held at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, DC on Saturday, October 21, 2017. “Our 20th anniversary is an exciting occasion to […]
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Facing the reality of ‘hiya’ with immigration in the Filipino community
By Daniela Pila “I’m getting my PhD in sociology.” “Wow, ang galing naman!” (Wow, that’s so impressive!) Whenever Filipinos ask me what I do for a living, I explain that I am a Ph.D. student in sociology. As a Filipina who purposely pursued a career in a non-medical field, I am a unicorn in the […]
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‘I am prepared,’ declares Jose Antonio Vargas on end of DACA
By Cristina DC Pastor “Rest assured that whatever happens to me, I am prepared.” Define American founder and undocumented immigrant journalist Jose Antonio Vargas wrote this on his Facebook wall, a day after the Trump Administration announced it was ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). DACA is a program put in place by […]
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Brooklyn immigration lawyer among FYLPRO young leaders for 2017
The Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C. has announced the 10 delegates to the Filipino-American Young Leaders Program (FYLPRO) 2017, including Brooklyn native Amanda Bernardo, Esq. They will be traveling in an immersion trip to the Philippines to meet with leaders of government, industry, business, culture, and social enterprise from October 8 to 14. An immigration […]