Immigration Relief Measures for Filipino Nationals impacted by Typhoon Haiyan

Please see important information below by USCIS regarding immigration relief measures for Filipino Nationals impacted by Typhoon Haiyan.

This is the CIS note:

Dear Stakeholder,

We in U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) are deeply saddened by the effects of the typhoon that struck the Philippines on November 8, 2013. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of this tragedy.

We have taken steps to provide relief to victims of the typhoon. Filipino nationals in the United States should visit the home page of our website to learn about a series of existing relief measures that may be available to them. In addition, we are proactively identifying and expediting pending petitions for alien relatives, the Form I-130, that have been filed by U.S. Citizens for their Filipino immediate relatives.   Our standard security checks remain in place.

A Form I-130 petitioner can check his or her case status online at www.uscis.gov or by contacting the National Customer Service Center at 1-800-375-5283 or 1-800-767-1833 (TDD assistance). In addition, a petitioner can sign up to receive automatic case status updates by e-mail as one’s case is processed. If one has filed a Form I-130 and received a request for evidence or any other type of communication from USCIS, one should read the notice carefully to ensure that one responds to the same USCIS Service Center that sent the notice.

Members of Congress and members of the community have requested that the Philippines receive a designation of Temporary Protected Status, commonly known as “TPS.” The Department of Homeland Security, along with other federal agencies, is reviewing these requests, the conditions in the Philippines, and other relevant factors in assessing whether a TPS designation is warranted.

We are monitoring the situation closely and actively considering what additional measures we can take to assist and support individuals affected by the tragedy.

Kind Regards,

USCIS Public Engagement Division

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