<home> -- <press releases> -- <October 22, 2003>

Compassionate Visitor Visa Act Introduced in the House
Bordallo Seeks to Address Concerns of the Filipino Community
as an Original Cosponsor

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – October 22, 2003 – Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Madeleine Bordallo announced today the introduction of H.R. 3306, the Compassionate Visitor Visa Act, of which she is an original co-sponsor.  H.R. 3306, authored by Congressman Ed Case (D-HI), seeks to make it easier for overseas relatives of immigrants to visit their families in the United States under a temporary nonimmigrant visa status during times of family emergency. Currently, the "presumption clause" in immigration law prevents most applicants for nonimmigrant visas from visiting relatives in the United States, even to attend funerals or visit terminally ill relatives.
H.R. 3306 would remove this presumption and require the issuance of a temporary visa unless some reason was demonstrated to conclude that the visa holder was a likely default risk. 

"As someone who has always valued family, it saddens me when constituents tell me that their sister or father in the Philippines is denied entry to Guam to attend a funeral or visit a dying relative without receiving proper consideration. While I recognize the possible security concerns that may exist, I believe there needs to be greater flexibility in issuing temporary visas to bereaved family members. In these extreme cases of personal and family hardship, special consideration should be allowed. Through H.R. 3306 I seek to address one of the most important concerns the Filipino community on Guam has brought to my attention," Bordallo said.

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Contact: Neil Weare in Washington, D.C., at (202) 225-1188 or Joaquin Perez in Guam at (671) 477-4272.