MANILA: U.S. EMBASSY EASES VISA RENEWALS / 2010 CENSUS: 2,555,923 U.S. PINOYS
MANILA, JULY 30, 2011 (STANDARD) QUALIFIED applicants to the US Embassy's Visa Re-issuance Program need only schedule an appointment, appear at the embassy in Manila at the appointed time, submit 10-print finger scans, and then have their applications screened.
Interviews have been waived, and appointments may be secured within days as of July 25, the embassy says in its Web site.
The following conditions apply to those who want to qualify for the program:
• The applicant holds a Philippine passport
• The applicant has previously been issued a full-validity visa in Manila that is good for five or 10 years
• The visa is still valid and has not expired within the last 12 months
• The passport holder has all the passports covering the period starting from his or her receipt of the full-validity visa
* The applicant has not been refused a US visa in the last 12 months
* The visa is not annotated "clearance received"
* The applicant has never stayed in the US longer than six months (even if Homeland Security has approved any extension of stay)
* The applicant has never been arrested or convicted of any offense or crime
* The applicant can provide the visa control number of his or her visa, which is located in the upper right hand corner of the document.
Eligible applicants may post their applications online at http://www.ustraveldocs.com/ph, or contact the call center numbers (02) 902-8930 or (02) 982-5555 for information or to schedule a VRP appointment.
The US Embassy says it reserves the right to interview any applicant. If an interview is required, a representative of the US Embassy will contact the applicant within two business days of his or her VRP appointment.
Applicants who are not eligible for the visa program will be turned away and asked to schedule a regular appointment.
2010 CENSUS U.S. Filipinos: 2,555, 923 Friday, 08 July 2011 21:00
Population rose by 38 percent in since the last decennial.
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The National Federation of Filipino American Associations issued recently-released U.S. Census figures indicating that there are 2,555,923 Filipinos in the United States today.
The number represents a 38 per cent increase from the 1.8 million counted 10 years ago. These figures only represent counts of "Filipino Alone" responses to the 2010 census survey. Based on Census 2000 and 2008 Population Estimates,
it is projected that the total will increase by 20 per cent when the count for "Mixed-Race Filipinos" is added by the end of the summer. If these estimates hold, the total number could top 3.5 million.
Following are the states with the highest populations of Filipinos: - California - 1,195,580 Filipinos or 3.2 percent of all the people in the state; - Hawaii - 197,497 - Illinois - 114,724 - New Jersey - 110,650 - New York - 104,287 - Texas -103,074 - Nevada - 98,351 - Washington - 91,367 - Florida - 90,223 - Virginia - 66,963 - Maryland - 43,923 - Arizona - 35,013.
Filipinos in Nevada continue to have the highest rate of growth nationwide. The state's number jumped from 12,048 in 1990 to 40,529 in 2000 – a dramatic increase of 236 percent – more than doubling again in 2010 with 98,351, an increase of 142 percent.
Next to Filipinos in Hawaii who constitute 14.5 percent of the total state population, Nevada's Filipinos comprise 3.6 percent – enough to swing a close election. The 2010 census also points to significant growth of Filipino communities in Arizona – with a 116 percent rise – followed by North Carolina, 94 percent; Wyoming, 91 percent; Idaho, 87 percent; Alabama, 82 percent; New Hampshire, 81 percent; Utah, 80 percent; Texas, 77 percent; and New Mexico, 72 percent.
NaFFAA culled the statistics with the help of Gem Daus, an Asian American studies professor at the University of Maryland. "This is great news but our numbers alone won't count unless we translate them into political power," says NaFFAA national chair Eduardo Navarra.
"This means we have to register to vote and take time to actually go out and cast our ballots in local and national elections. This is the only effective way we can be heard and taken seriously by our elected representatives when we advocate for those issues that are critical to our community."
"While we have a high rate of naturalization and voter registration, our voting rate is embarrassingly low. We can not continue to be invisible. We must assert our political presence in this country by stepping up our civic participation in all aspects of American life," addded Merit Salud, NaFFAA's national coordinator for FilVote.
FilVote plans to launch a massive voter registration and get-out-the-vote campaign in preparation for the 2012 national elections.
For more information, contact: Bing Cardenas Branigin, MCBranigin@aol.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or Jon Melegrito, JonMele@aol.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Last Updated (Friday, 08 July 2011 21:23)
EARLIER REPORT
Statement by Secretary Clinton: The Philippines' National Day
STATEMENT BY SECRETARY CLINTON
The Philippines' National Day
On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I am delighted to congratulate the people of the Philippines on the 113th anniversary of your declaration of independence this June 12.
The United States and the Philippines are long-standing friends and partners. We stood together during World War II to defend liberal democratic values. Today, we are working together on many new fronts. Whether we are working to find ways to catalyze economic growth, helping victims of natural disasters, combating extremism, or calling for greater protection of human rights, our two countries share a vision of a better world.
We support the Philippine government's commitment to fight corruption, promote judicial reform, reduce poverty, and create opportunities for its people.
Our two countries are cooperating in new ways on everything from the Partnership for Growth joint effort to boost prosperity in the Philippines, to the Open Government Partnership initiative to improve governance and transparency around the globe.
Together through our Millennium Challenge Corporation compact we are working to reduce poverty through economic growth. The Philippines is a committed partner on so many issues.
Please accept my sincere thanks for your friendship and best wishes for your continued success and prosperity on this special day.
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Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
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