Benje L. Rontal, Abegail Louie B. Mucho, Evelyn V. Espeja, Elena C. Tanilon and Marlon S. Tanilon, owner and the managing director, respectively.

From start to finish, Big Start guarantees dependable travel and visa assistance. They can assure this because unlike competition because Big Start only takes applications that have the best chances of getting approved.

There’s always something new on the facades of this city/country. And I like it. Even just a tiny thing like the changing of the colour of a restaurant wall would intrigue me. Though many people would express their curiosity and wondering why I would stay that long (4 days, without shopping) in this tiny place, I don’t care and I keep coming back for more at least once a year.

Singapore is a very safe country… There is a joke, that if you leave your briefcase on a corner you can come back a week later and it will still be there…and I believe it! The traffic ran smoothly, the taxis have high tech computerized meter systems, everything was SO clean, and it was BEAUTIFUL! This place is not that expensive, really, if you could suppress yourself a bit from buying things you thought you couldn’t find elsewhere…

If you want to explore the beauty of Singapore, BIGSTART can offer you a 4D3N Tour Package below.

4D3N Singapore Tour Package

USD 203/ person, minimum of 2 persons

Hotel Accommodation: Fragrance Selegie

Inclusions:

• Breakfast
• Airport Transfer
• City Tour

Optional Tours:

• Universal Studio Tour – USD80/ person
• Singapore Flyer – USD50/ person
• Sentosa PM – USD66/ person

Note: Rates are subject to change without prior notice.

Rescel Gianelli R. Galang

Saint Paul University Dumaguete

Intern

More Filipinos seek to migrate

http://www.mb.com.ph/node/345845/more-filipino

“Too many live-in caregivers have completed their work obligations but must continue living in the home of their employer, waiting for their application for permanent residence to be reviewed,” Kenny said. Changes include: Allowing live-in caregivers to apply for permanent residence after 3,900 work hours, instead of two years of work; The elimination of the need for a second medical examination when the caregiver applies for permanent residence; Increasing amount of time a caregiver has to complete their work obligations, from three years to four; The adoption of a standardized employment contract that ensures both parties agree to the salary, hours of work (PNA).

Source: Sunstar Cebu,Wednesday, December 21, 2011

In the deliberation of citizenship legislation, is there some other factor of such importance which limits equal human rights for all parents and children or overrides the child-parent relationship from which may lead to situations where a parent and a child cannot share the same nationality at the birth of the child and where the child might find itself stateless?

If there is, then we should worry.

Based on the complexity of acquiring US citizenship, with all its law amendments and provisions, this may happen.

And this is what makes Mr. Steven Robert Kane, a US citizen currently present here in the Philippines with his son, Steven Joseph Kane, a one-year old boy and his dearest son’s mother Josephine Flores Pangasian, worried.

As any parent should be, one is proud of his/her nationality that he/she wanted to pass it on to his/her descendants. True to this, Mr. Kane desires to transmit his US Citizenship to his son so that the child may able to enjoy the State’s privileges given to its nationals, to own and reside in the US, and to have an opportunity to love and serve his beloved state. That the child may not be stateless and may exercise his innate rights just what his father gladly did.

Now comes is the application process in which Mr. Kane had greatly contributed to his son’s application. It highlighted on his growing impatience that he cannot just sit and wait for months for his son’s US Passport to arrive.

As his son, Steven Joseph was born under the Child Citizen Act of 2000 which was in effect on the year 2001, one of its provisions is for the father to achieve the required physical presence in the US or in its outlying possessions for at least five (5) years in which two (2) years of it may be after his fourteenth (14^th) birthday.

Now if you think, it is easy for Mr. Kane for he is a citizen of the US, then think again.

Mr. Kane’s case added to the complexity of acquiring US citizenship. You may ask why. You may not find it complex, but is it not complex for a US citizen who is residing permanently in Australia and yet wanted to transmit his US citizenship to his son?

Granted, it’s true that residing permanently in Australia, in which you are not a citizen, has properties in the Commonwealth of Australia, a US citizen’s nationality is still not affected. To add more, Mr. Kane may pledge his loyalty for his country and that he, for once, did not denounce his US nationality, still the US Government will find it hard to believe his statement.

For who will believe Mr. Kane when during his time, working overseas, entering various countries and going home in the US were not consecutively stamped on his US Passport as proof of his entry or exits, as it was the proper security practice today? There is no proof of enough documentation of his travels especially his stays in the US to procure his physical presence requirement.

Aside from his saved certification, even just simple narratives which he intelligently done in the past which records his travels; he had nothing to show to strengthen his son’s application.

As we started to think we’re losing hopes, Mr. Kane went to the office one day, with sullen face and dropped shoulders. He said, he has something to show us. Thinking it’s another bad news, we never overreact. Yet we indulged him. You know what he showed to us?

It is no other than, his son’s US Passport!

The application was granted and that his son is acknowledged and be lawfully admitted into the United States as a non-immigrant upon entry as the primary step for his naturalization.

Indeed, Mr. Kane did have proofs of faithful and responsible appearances in his beloved State that made his son’s passport to arrive. The proofs were his records in the IRS (Internal Revenue Services) which is the United States government agency who’s tasked with collecting yearly state and income tax from working residents and businesses and even those who worked in foreign land.

He was able to get his record travels, reflecting the date of his travels, the time and especially the countries or states he visited and/or worked with, which provide him proofs for the embassy showing that he indeed achieved the required physical presence in the US for his son’s US Citizenship application.

Good thing, really, Mr. Kane was a good taxpayer.

We are more than excited for them to enter US and that little Steven Joseph may warmly welcomed by his beloved state- the USA.

The program aims to reduce the students’ waiting times and promote Australia’s academic sector. Streamline processing explained Under the said scheme, qualified students shall receive a Confirmation of Employment (CoE) from participating academic institutions. Once issued, the student, regardless of his or her country of origin shall be treated as low risk visitors. This therefore reduces the volume of documentary evidence that they must present to consular officers. Such move is expected to increase the number of Australian student visas issued. But despite of the seemingly lenient provision, the Australian government ensures that the program will not be abused by potential illegal immigrants.

To do this, international students are still required to present evidence of sufficient funds. They must also pass the Genuine Temporary Entrant condition and the language exam. Moreover, they must duly demonstrate that they do not posit health risks to Australia. Eligible students The streamlined processing is solely available to students who are enrolled in the following programs: Bachelor degrees Those who are under the 2 plus 2 or 3 plus 1 programs made for partner universities Masters degrees by coursework and research Doctorate degrees English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students (ELICOS) as well as those who under Vocational Education and Training (VET) Exchange students or those who will be enrolling in courses that are part of their degree programs In order to maximize the benefits of streamlined processing, the Australian government coordinates with all academic institution for the necessary arrangements. The introduction of the streamline process is Australia’s response to Hon. Michael Knight’s Strategic Review of the Student Visa Program.

Source: “The University Sector Streamlined Visa Processing” (2011). Department of Immigration and Citizenship. Retrieved 14 December 2011 from < http://www.immi.gov.au/students/_pdf/2011-university-sector-streamlined-processing.pdf>