11 July 2016 - A strong advocate for Filipino veterans in the US Congress, US Senator from Hawaii, Mazie Hirono hosted a Filipino World War II Veterans Parole Program (FWVP) Outreach Event at the State Capitol last July 02.
Filipino war veterans and their families as well as the media were also invited. Senator Hirono has made veterans issue her priority issue in the US Congress, starting with her introduction of HR 1287 or the Filipino Veterans Family Reunification Act in 2007 when she was elected as Hawaii’s representative to the US Congress. When Senator Hirono was elected to the US Senate later, this bill was the first piece of legislation she introduced. Her strong advocacy and with the support of her Hawaii colleagues in the US Congress namely, Senator Brian Schatz, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard and Rep. Mark Takai led to the announcement in July 2015 by President Obama establishing the FWVP.
Philippine Consul General Gina A. Jamoralin thanked Senator Hirono for her work for the Filipino veterans and welcomed the FWVP program on behalf of the Philippine Government. Consul General Jamoralin expressed hope that the outreach event and the subsequent information campaign to be conducted by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in the Philippines and the United States will help disseminate information about FWVP program to all Filipino WWII veterans and their families.
During the outreach event, USCIS officers led by Mr. David Gulick, USCIS Chief, Honolulu District Office; Ms. Clare Hanusz, American Immigration Lawyers Association Hawaii Chapter; and Ms. Kehau Yap, Office of Senator Hirono provided a step-by-step briefing on how to fill up and file USCIS Form I-131 to avail of the visa parole program under the FWVP. A question and answer session followed.
On June 29, the USCIS Honolulu Office also conducted a briefing on FWVP through videoconferencing between the USCIS Office of International Operations in Washington DC and USCIS Honolulu office. The briefing was attended by the Filipino community members including those from the other islands of Maui and Molokai islands.
The Filipino World War II Veterans Parole Program (FWVP) was launched by the USCIS on June 08 and eligible Filipino veterans and their families interested to apply for the parole program can do so within the next five (5) years from June 08. The parole visa to the US is valid for three (3) years, which allows a family member to stay temporarily in the US while awaiting his/her US immigrant visa application approval filed by a surviving Filipino veteran or spouse.
For more details, please visit the USCIS website: www.uscis.gov. END
