Lourdes “Attorney Lou” Santos Tancinco is the principal and managing partner at Tancinco Law P.C., a full-service law firm providing expertise in the field of immigration matters. She handles the firm’s complex citizenship cases, employment-based & family based visa petitions, visa petitions for healthcare professionals and other workers, intracompany transferees, and investors.
Ms. Tancinco completed her studies at the University of the Philippines, College of Law and graduated with the Bachelor of Laws (LLB)in 1987 and Bachelor of Arts in Political Science (AB) in 1982. She was admitted to the Philippine bar in 1988. Ms. Tancinco was also admitted to the California State Bar in 1993; she is admitted to practice in the United States District Court, Northern District of California, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. She is an active member of the State Bar of California, the American Immigration Lawyers Association, the American Bar Association.
Aside from being an immigration attorney, she is an active community leader advocating for the rights of Filipino World War II veterans. She founded the Veterans Equity Center in 1998. VEC has provided services to thousands of veterans residing in San Francisco and neighboring counties on their immigration matter, veterans benefits and in advocacy for the full equity bill and the Filipino World War II Veterans Parole (FWVP). The SFVEC has now evolved and is known as the Bayanihan Equity Center (BEC). Ms. Tancinco and the BEC staff continue to work tirelessly to support the veterans, and ensure their lives and sacrifices are honored and acknowledged. She continues to provide legal assistance, workshops, online webinar to low income seniors, immigrants and families of the veterans through the BEC programs.
Ms. Tancinco also serves in various capacities in other community-based non profit organizations including the Alexis Apartments of St. Patrick’s Parish in San Francisco, a human services nonprofit focused on senior citizens housing & retirement communities. She recently had taken the role as volunteer Executive Director and Board Trustee of the Friends of the University of the Philippines Foundation, a non profit organization that promotes program development, scholarship & grants to collegiate & graduate students of U.P. In recognition of her contributions to the community and her achievements, Ms. Tancinco received numerous awards including the Award of Excellence from the Minority Bar Coalition, the Tessie Paredes Civil Rights Award from Filipinos for Affirmative Action (FAA), Outstanding Alumna Award from the University of the Philippines Alumni Association of San Francisco, and the Jose Rizal Social Justice Award presented by the Filipino Bar Association of Northern California.
Outside of being an immigration attorney and a veterans advocate, Ms. Tancinco is a multi awarded television host and a writer committed to public education in the area of immigration law. Her targeted audience are her community members, the Filipino immigrants. She is the producer and host of a weekly local TV show, Pusong Pinoy Sa Amerika aired on GMA Pinoy TV now on its 15th season. She had a regular short segment on immigration law Pinoy Panawagan also aired on TFC’s Balitang America for 10 years. Ms. Tancinco authors articles published in American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) books and writes weekly blogs on immigration published with local newspapers, news websites and various social media accounts.
