On May 19, 2021, Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), and Representatives Ed Case (D-Hawaii) and Don Young (R-Alaska) reintroduced the Filipino Veterans Family Reunification Act (S.1708), legislation that would speed up the visa process for children of Filipino World War II veterans.
Immigrant visa backlogs had resulted in separation of aging Filipino World War II veterans with their sons and daughters for several years. Many veterans passed away waiting for the visas of their children to become available.
The Filipino Veterans Family Reunification Act, if passed into law, would provide a permanent solution by amending the Immigration and Nationality Act to exempt from the numerical limits the sons and daughters of Filipino World War II veterans who were naturalized under the 1990 law or other specified laws. Essentially, green cards or immigrant visas will be made available to them after approval and processing of their visa petitions. This proposed legislation will not only assist our veterans during their twilight years but also it is considered a recognition of their critical services during World War II.
This bill is scheduled for mark up on committee level in July 2021 and more Republican co-sponsors are needed to support this bill. We urge community members to contact their legislators to support the passage of this bill.
