A program of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)

1. OVERVIEW AND QUALIFICATIONS
The Filipino World War II Veterans Parole Program
CHUGH, LLP
(562) 299-1220
LOS ANGELES COUNTY
A program of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
Of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
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2. DID YOU KNOW?
For decades, the U.S. Government has been working toward a viable
solution that would help the U.S. live up to its agreement made with aging
Filipino veterans who fought alongside American soldiers in World War II,
when the Philippines was an American territory.
In recognition of the extraordinary contributions and sacrifices of these
veterans, the U.S. is now allowing certain family members of Filipino and
Filipino-American WWII veterans to receive parole into the U.S.
The program will enable these eligible family members to provide support
and care to their aging family members who are U.S. citizens or lawful
permanent residents.

3. Effective June 8, 2016, the U.S. Government will start
accepting applications to consider individual requests
for parole submitted for certain relatives of Filipino
World War II Veterans who are the beneficiaries of
approved family-based immigrant visa petitions.
What is the Filipino World War II
Veterans Parole Program (FWVP)?

4. How does this mean for my sponsored relative?
According to USCIS, an estimated 2,000 to 6,000 Filipino-American WWII
veterans are living in the U.S. with numbers dwindling everyday. Many may have
sponsored their relatives to come to the U.S.
However, (with the exception of immediate relatives of U.S. citizens), the number
of family-sponsored immigrant visas available by country of origin in any given
year is limited by statute in the U.S. These limits result in long waiting periods
before family members may join the petitioning U.S. citizens or permanent
residents in the U.S. and become permanent residents themselves. For some
Filipino-American families, this wait can exceed 20 years.
With this concern, USCIS has permitted certain family members to be eligible to
receive a discretionary grant of parole to come to the U.S. before their visa
becomes available, alleviating some of this separation and to reconnect these
family ties, especially in light of these aging veteran relatives. Once paroled,
these family members may apply for work authorization and once their visa
becomes available, may apply for a green card.

5. What is Parole?
Parole, as provided for under the Immigration and Nationality Act
(INA) gives the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
discretion (on a case-by-case basis) to….
• Permit individuals to come to the U.S. for a temporary period of time based
upon urgent humanitarian reasons or for significant public benefit
(generally 3 years under this program)
• Once you are paroled into the United States under the FWVP
Program, you will be eligible to apply for work authorization from
USCIS.
• Requests for re-parole should be made 90 days before expiration.
• Note: Parole does not give the individual any permanent right to
remain in the U.S. But under this program you will be expected to
apply for your green card once your visa becomes available.

6. When Can a Request Be Made?
Applications will be accepted by USCIS starting June 8, 2016.
The U.S. Government strongly encourages eligible individuals
interested in requesting parole under the FWVP Program do so within
5 years.
It may take approximately 6 months to process the application to the
issuance of the travel document. Therefore, if you believe you qualify,
time is of the essence.

7. I am a veteran or surviving spouse.
Do I qualify for this program?
1. You must be a U.S. citizen or Legal Permanent Resident living in the U.S.
2. You have established that you are either a Filipino WWII veteran (as defined by the
U.S. Government) or are the Surviving Spouse of such individual;
3. You, the Filipino WWII veteran or surviving spouse, filed a Form I-130, Petition for
Alien Relative, for a family member and it was approved on or before the date you
filed the request for parole; and
4. An immigrant visa is not yet available for your relative (son or daughter and their
spouses, and their unmarried children under 21; and your brother and sister and their
spouse, and their unmarried children under 21.) Note: If you are a surviving spouse
who petitioned, then the relatives are limited to your veteran spouse’s sons and
daughters, including their spouses and their unmarried children under 21).

8. I was currently sponsored by a veteran and his
spouse. However, they are both deceased, can I
still request parole to the U.S.?
In certain circumstances, a self-petitioner can request parole on their own
behalf. In such cases, the self-petitioner must establish all of the following:
1. You are the son, daughter, brother or sister of the deceased Filipino
veteran, and that relationship existed on or before May 9, 2016;
2. The deceased Filipino veteran had qualifying WWII military service, as
defined by the U.S. Government, and was living in America at the time
of death; and
3. The Filipino veteran's spouse is also deceased.

9. You must be the principal beneficiary and USCIS must have reinstated the
approval of the petition after the death(s);
Additionally one of these scenarios must apply…
SCENARIO 1: The petitioning Filipino WWII veteran or spouse
was alive during the I-130 approval, but died after.
If at least one (1) beneficiary was living in the U.S. at the time of the death(s) and
still lives in the U.S., and USCIS approved the Form I-130 after it was reinstated.
SCENARIO 2: The petitioning Filipino WWII veteran or spouse
died before the I-130 approval…
I was currently sponsored by a veteran and his
spouse. However, they are both deceased, can I
still request parole to the U.S.?

10. According to USCIS, participation in the FWVP Program is not available to
people who qualify as immediate relatives, since they may immediately seek
immigrant visas for travel to the United States once their Forms I-130 are
approved.
Immediate relatives include:
 Spouses of U.S. citizens;
 Unmarried children under 21 years of age of U.S. citizens; and
 Parents of U.S. citizens over 21 years of age.
Note: If you are the beneficiary of an approved Form I-130, you live outside
the U.S., and your petitioner in the U.S. is still living, you cannot request
parole for yourself or your family members under the FWVP Program. The
U.S.-based petitioner must file on your behalf.
Who is Not Eligible!

11. While the program is intended for family members outside of the U.S., certain relatives in
U.S. may be able to benefit from the program. Please note, if the parole application is
conditionally approved, your relative will need to depart the U.S. and appear abroad at a
USCIS office or at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate to be interviewed by a USCIS or
Department of State officer.
If found eligible to travel, your relative will be issued a travel document to allow your relative
to travel to the United States and request parole from a U.S. Customs and Border Protection
(CBP) officer at a port of entry. CBP will review the documents and, assuming all is in order,
parole your relative into the United States. If not found eligible to travel, we will send a
written notification to the FWVP Program petitioner.
Depending on an individual’s status in the U.S., a departure from the U.S. can come with
serious immigration consequences. Before pursuing this option, individuals are encouraged
to consult with an accredited immigration attorney on the potential risks and benefits of
this option.
A note to Filipino family members
already in the U.S.

12. The Application Process
 File a Form I-131 (Application for Travel
Document) for each eligible family member
 Include a photocopy of your Form I-797, Notice of
Action, Form I-130 approval notice, a printout
from Case Status Online which shows the approval
of an Form I-130, or other evidence of your Form
I-130 approval; and
 Include the applicable fee or fee waiver request
 Complete a Form I-134 (Affidavit of Support) for
each family member
 Include evidence you are Filipino WWII veteran
(under section 405 of IMMACT’90, as amended by
Section 112 of Department of Justice
Appropriations Act, 1998) or a spouse of such
individual. If you are a self-petitioner, include
evidence that you are the son, daughter, brother
or sister of the deceased Filipino veteran, and that
relationship existed on or before May 9,
2016; that the deceased Filipino veteran had
FILE THE REQUEST FOR PAROLE
WITH USCIS IN THE U.S.
 The NVC will transfer your case to the USCIS
office or U.S. Embassy or Consulate abroad
where your beneficiary relative will be
interviewed. Your relative will need be abroad to
attend this interview and bring all relevant
documentation. Additionally, they will have to
have passed criminal, national security checks,
pass a medical exam and warrant a favorable
exercise of discretion. Ultimate approval of the
request will be done by the consulate.
UPON CONDITIONAL APPROVAL, IT WILL BE SENT
TO THE NATIONAL VISA CENTER (NVC)
At the U.S. Port of Entry, Customs (CBP) will review and
parole request. If everything is in order, they will issue
an I-94 reflecting entry in to the U.S. for 3 years.

13. Thank you for viewing our presentation! Salamat!
About Chugh, LLP: Our mission is to provide the best integrated legal and tax solutions
worldwide. We pride ourselves in our accessibility, efficiency and superior client service.
Our team of dedicated legal professionals have an intricate understanding of the
complexities of our client’s needs. Our firm regularly assists our clients on immigration
issues including employment-based and immigrant-based petitions. Our headquarters
is in Southern California, but we have 5 offices in the U.S. and have a network of legal
professionals in India and Mexico.
Feel free to contact us with any inquiries regarding this presentation. We hope we can
direct you on the right path.
Chugh, LLP
(562) 299-1220
15925 Carmenita Road
Cerritos ,CA 90703 USA
chugh.com
For more information from USCIS, please visit their site https://www.uscis.gov/fwvp.