Law Brings Navy’s Filipinos Closer to U.S. Citizenship

SAN DIEGO â€”  A new immigration law has placed U.S. citizenship just around the corner for thousands of Philippines nationals serving in the Navy, ending a dispute that once had Navy officials at odds with Congress and the White House.

President Bush signed a bill Oct. 1 that grants special immigrant status to Philippines nationals serving in the Navy. The measure will enable 3,024 Filipinos to obtain permanent resident immigrant visas on Dec. 1. In addition, Navy officials estimated, about 2,000 dependents will be eligible for visas.

The new law applies to sailors who have served a minimum of 12 years on active duty or who have served six years and re-enlist for six more years. Ten sailors from Micronesia, the Marshall Islands and Palau also qualify under the bill.

Although the bill was signed without fanfare, Navy officials and other supporters of the sailors said Wednesday that news of its enactment has filtered throughout the fleet.

Supporters of the Filipinos had been trying to get the legislation through Congress for more than two years. A similar measure passed the House of Representatives in 1989 but died later during a budget battle between Congress and the White House. Angry Navy officials vowed to continue pushing for the legislation.

The bill virtually assures U.S. citizenship for the sailors because of another provision in the immigration statute that extends citizenship to permanent resident aliens who serve honorably in the armed forces for at least three years.

This means that the Filipino sailors can apply for U.S citizenship immediately after receiving their visas, immigration officials said.

Under a longstanding agreement between the U.S. and Philippines governments, 400 Philippines nationals are allowed to enlist in the Navy every year.