On Monday, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced the implementation of the Filipino World War II Veterans Parole program that will offer certain beneficiaries an opportunity to seek parole and come to the United States to be reunited with their family members.
Under the policy, USCIS will offer certain beneficiaries of approved family-based immigrant visa petitions an opportunity to request a discretionary grant of parole on a case-by-case basis so that they may come to the United States as they wait for their immigrant visa numbers to become available.
Among other things, the policy recognizes the extraordinary contributions and sacrifices of Filipino veterans who fought for the United States during World War II. The policy also enhances the ability of such elderly veterans and their spouses to obtain care and support from their family members abroad.
"The Filipino World War II Veterans Parole Program honors the thousands of Filipinos who bravely enlisted to fight for the United States during World War II," USCIS Director León Rodríguez said. "This policy will allow certain Filipino-American family members awaiting immigrant-visa issuance to come to the United States and be with their loved ones. For many, it will also allow them to provide support and care for elderly veterans or their surviving spouses."
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. These limits result in long waiting periods before family members may join petitioning U.S. citizens or permanent residents in the United States and become permanent residents themselves. For some Filipino American families, this wait can exceed 20 years.
"We owe it to those veterans, as a nation, to allow them to have their family beside them for comfort and care," said Congressman Mike Honda (CA-17). "As USCIS implements this program, I hope they will work with the community to ensure that everyone who is eligible for the program is able to apply, so that these veterans can be reunified with their loved ones as quickly as possible."
More here: USCIS to Implement Filipino World War II Veterans Parole Program