Parole Program for Family Members of Filipino WWII Veterans

On January 19, 2017, the Department of State (DOS) added a new subchapter to the Foreign Affairs Manual (FAM) providing a parole program to expedite family reunifications for qualifying family members of certain Filipino World War II veterans.

The Filipino World War II Veterans Parole Program (FWVP) benefits only qualifying Filipino WWII veteran family members with approved or reinstated I-130 petitions who are waiting for their priority dates to become current. While working as a policy immigration attorney in Washington D.C., Prerna Lal, Esq. was instrumental in the creation of this federal program, and authored a much-cited issue brief on this matter.

You may request parole for your qualifying relatives if you meet the following requirements:

• You are either a U.S. citizen or LPR living in the United States;
• You have established that you are either a Filipino WWII veteran (as defined under section 405 of IMMACT90 as amended by Section 112 of Department of Justice Appropriations Act, 1998,) (PDF) or are the surviving spouse of such individual;
• 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
• An immigrant visa is not yet available for your relative.

You may may request parole on your own behalf and on behalf of your spouse and children (unmarried and under 21) if:

• The veteran and spouse are both deceased, and
• You are the principal beneficiary of the Form I-130 submitted by the veteran or by the veteran’s spouse for a son or daughter who is also the son or daughter of a veteran.

More information on this ground-breaking new program is here. Given the recent attacks on immigrants, we do not know how long the Trump Administration will keep this program, so individuals who qualify should act quickly.

Contact Attorney Prerna Lal for an appointment if you think you or your family members may be eligible under this program.