What is Real ID?

Real ID is a state driver’s license that meets a new set of federal security standards for domestic air travel within the United States. In 2005, Congress passed the REAL ID Act, in response to the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001. This Act imposes a set of security standards for license issuance and production, along with prohibiting Federal agencies from accepting certain ID cards from the states that do not meet the Act’s standards.

Real IDs can be used to board federally regulated commercial aircraft, enter nuclear power plants, and avail of certain federal services. US citizens who are traveling domestically via air will not be allowed to board the flight in case they don’t have a Real ID or any other acceptable form of identification. The Transport Security Administration does not require children under 18 to provide identification while traveling with a guardian within the United States. However, the guardian must have acceptable IDs. On the other hand, the Real ID cannot be used for land or sea travel, be it domestic or international.

How to get a Real ID? 

To get a Real ID, one must visit the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) in person, along with a proof of identity, Social Security Number and two proofs of residence. For example, a birth certificate or valid US passport, a Social Security card or tax documents and a valid driver’s license with the current street address plus a recent utility bill. A Real ID can be recognized by a mark at the top of the card. There are five markings including a black star, a golden star, and a golden bear with a star.

Real ID-compliant US States

Currently, all the US states are Real ID-compliant except Oregon and Oklahoma, which are in extension; American Samoa and New Jersey are under review. TSA is currently accepting all driver’s licenses and ID cards from the states that are compliant or have an extension from the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Deadline for Real ID

The final deadline for Real ID is October 1, 2020. In order to fly on commercial aircraft or access federal facilities, an individual must have visited their state’s driver’s licensing agency and obtained a REAL ID-compliant card, or an acceptable alternative such as a U.S. passport. Starting October 2020, federal agencies including DHS and TSA will only accept state-issued driver’s licenses and identification cards.

Also Read: US IT Companies File $350 Million Lawsuit against USCIS

What IDs can be used instead of Real ID?

The alternate IDs that can be used instead of Real ID are – 

• US Passport
• US Passport Card
• DHS trusted traveler cards
• US Department of Defence ID
• Permanent resident card
• Border crossing card
• State-issued Enhanced Driver’s License
• Driver’s licenses or other state photo identity cards issued by DMV
• Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 Personal Identification Verification card
• Foreign government-issued passports
• Canadian provincial driver’s license or Indian and Northern Affairs Canada card
• Transportation worker identification credential
• US Citizenship and Immigration Services Employment Authorization Card
• US Merchant Mariner Credential 
• Federally recognized tribal-issued photo ID

According to DHS, enhanced Driver’s Licenses (EDL) issued by cities like Washington, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, and Vermont are considered to be an acceptable alternative to Real ID-compliant cards. 

The DHS has stated that the Real ID is just a national set of standards that helps to make a citizen’s identity documents more consistent and secure. Real ID is not used to create a federal database of driver license information. On the other hand, each jurisdiction continues to issue its own unique license, maintains its own records, and controls who gets access to those records and under what circumstances.

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In a 43-page lawsuit, IT Serve Alliance, an association of IT service organizations that represents over 1000 IT companies, has questioned whether USCIS has the authority to limit how long professionals can work on an H-1B visa. 

The lawsuit read, “USCIS has unlawfully charged US companies approximately $350 million in visa fees over the past six years. The plaintiffs now seek a refund. For the reasons below, this Court must set aside visa denials based on the nonpayment of this unlawful fee, enjoin the Agency from continuing to charge this fee, and refund all payment of these fees for the past 6 years”

Represented by the attorneys Jonathan Wasden and Bradley Banias of Wasden Banias LLC., the consortium filed the lawsuit against the USCIS. Jonathan stated that IT Serve will not stand by and allow USCIS’ arbitrary policies and fees to harm its members. IT Serve is taking the lead in protecting US companies from business-killing policies.

The plaintiffs are IT Serve Alliance, iTech US, Smart Works, and Saxon Global. On the other hand, the defendant is Ken Cuccinelli, the Director of the USCIS. However, the lawsuit will succeed if the consortium manages to convince the US District Court that USCIS is unlawfully charging ‘50/50’ companies with a $4,000 fee for H-1B change of status, even when employees are inside the US. 50/50 companies are those with at least 50 employees and 50% of their workforce is in H-1B or L-1 visas. 

IT companies argued that a fee of $4,000 should have only been charged at the time an H-1B professional first enters the US. They pointed out a statement from the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) and said that an application for a change of status is not an application for admission. On this basis, the fees for H-1B change of status should be ruled not only arbitrary but also capricious and that USCIS should refund the excess amount it collected over the past six years.

The INA states, “The term ‘application for admission’ has reference to the application for admission into the United States and not to the application for the issuance of an immigrant or nonimmigrant visa. The terms ‘admission’ and ‘admitted’ mean, with respect to an alien, the lawful entry of the alien into the United States after inspection and authorization by an immigration officer.”

Also read: Trump Administration Plans to Change Tourist Visa Norms for Women

In 2010, the House of Representatives introduced the Border Admission Fee (BAF) as $2,000 for a period of four years and then another bill in 2015 increased the fee to $4,000. USCIS charged an additional $2,000 on BAF from all 50/50 companies filing for H-1B visas for initial status or change of employers. Moreover, USCIS also started denying all H-1B applications for 50/50 companies that failed to submit this fee. 

Defending USCIS, Erin Green, the managing attorney of EEG Immigration Law Group, stated that when USCIS receives incorrect fees, they send the application back to the organization with an explanation that the proper fees were not submitted. In addition, Green said that the organization would have to re-submit the application with the correct fees.

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Workers go on strike to leverage labor power and bargain with their employers, which often leads to a complete halt in the business for a specific number of days. When airline workers strike, carriers not only have to bear the brunt of furious travelers but also quickly sort out labor negotiations.

Currently, workers at London’s Gatwick International Airport and Heathrow International Airport are threatening to strike in disputes over inadequate pay. Last year, Gatwick Airport Limited proposed a three-year deal that would have seen workers receive a pay increase of 2% along with £250 for the first two years. For the third year, the workers would receive a pay hike in line with the consumer price index inflation rate plus £250. 

Unite, the second-largest trade union in the UK stated that the three-year deal was acceptable for starters which would pay a new employee up to up to £7,000 per annum, which is lesser than the amount paid to an old staff undertaking the same role. Gatwick Airport has employed over 2000 Unite members as security, staff, firefighters, terminal operators, engineers and surface transport workers. Surprisingly, around 98% of the members voted to reject the three-year deal.

Early this month, Gatwick Airport reported a profit of £137 million for a period of six months. Unite stated, “The airport is fantastically profitable as a result of the hard work of our members and they believe they should be properly rewarded for their hard work and loyalty.” The trade union has decided to hold a meeting with the airport authorities in order to negotiate. In case, the authorities do not improvise the deal, Unite will ballot its members on strike action. 

In response to the remarks by Unite, a Gatwick spokesperson stated that they are keen to reach an agreement in order to make sure the passengers do not get affected at any point.

On the other hand, baggage handlers at Heathrow Airport, employed by Global Baggage Solutions, have planned a strike after rejecting a pay deal which, otherwise, would have increased their pay by 32 pence an hour. The eight-day strike will be held on two phases; the first strike will be held from February 2 to 5 while the second strike will be from February 22 to 25. 

Unite’s Regional Officer Clare Keogh said, “Heathrow passengers need to be aware that if their baggage is mislaid, it could disappear forever while our members are on strike. Our members will no longer accept low pay and this dispute is completely a result of the refusal by Global Baggage Solutions to negotiate.”

The union demands that the employees be paid the basic wage of £10.75 an hour which subsequently increases for experienced members. The workers have planned the strike as a last resort as they are struggling to survive on a measly pay. In addition, Clare stated that the strike can be averted if the organization makes a realistic pay offer.

Apart from these two strikes, the Unite members at London’s Heathrow Airport, employed by Vanderlande Industries are planning to start a separate strike in disputes over pay. Unite represents at least 80 Vanderlande workers who are responsible for loading freight on and off planes of International Airlines Group (IAG) comprising British Airways, Air Lingus, Iberia Brands, and others. These Gatwick and Heathrow strikes will result in widespread disruption at the airport. 

British Airways will be affected the most owing to the upcoming Gatwick and Heathrow strikes as the carrier’s main hub is Heathrow Airport. Last year, British Airways’ pilots staged a strike for 48 hours; it is the first strike in the carrier’s 100-year history. The strike led to at least 1700 flight cancellations, affecting nearly 300,000 passengers. British Airways faced around $100 million in losses owing to the strike. 

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The Trump administration plans to bring an end to birth tourism in USA by making changes to the US visa guidelines. Once passed, this rule will prevent foreigners from taking advantage of the 14th Amendment, which guarantees birthright citizenship to anyone born in the country. A State Department official stated, “This change is intended to address the national security and law enforcement risks associated with birth tourism, including criminal activity associated with the birth tourism industry.” Moreover, this rule is also believed to be a part of the US President Donald Trump’s stringent measures to intensify the evaluating process for visas.

Trump’s new visa policy to curb birth tourism in USA, will alter the requirements for B visas aka visitor visas and enable the State Department officials the authority to deny foreigners the short-term business and tourist visas to USA if they believe the person is trying to take advantage of the process with intentions of gaining automatic citizenship.

‘Birth tourists’ often come to the United States from Nigeria, China and Russia. However, there is no official count of the babies born to foreign visitors in the US but the Immigration Restrictionist Group Center for Immigration Studies has stated that a rough estimate amounts up to at least  33,000 each year. 

When questioned about birth tourism in USA, Tom Homan, former Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director, stated that birthright citizenship is a key driver for illegal immigration and that it was the reason behind the surge of asylum applicants who arrived in Mexico in 2019. Tom said, “They think it is their golden ticket to come to the US. If the message we want to send to the rest of the world is: enter this country illegally, have a US citizen child and you’re free to go, then we’re never going to solve the border crisis.”

There have also been cases against birth tourists including multiple agencies running birth tourism. Last year, the US Department of Justice charged three people for running maternity hotels where they help certain people to take advantage of the 14th Amendment. These agencies catered to Chinese clients in Southern California, where women were charged somewhere between $ 15,000 and $ 50,000 to give birth in the US.

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The US Department of Homeland Security has sent a clear message to all the countries that if they fail to comply with the new regulations for travel to USA within 50 days, they will face sanctions on travel. The new regulations for travelers to USA are integral to the latest US immigration policy in the current political regime of America.

Foreign countries have been intimated to provide additional identity details of their US visa applicants, including bio metric and biographic details as and when required. As per the new regulations for travel to USA, the Homeland Security department may ask foreign countries to furnish criminal records of those nationals who are suspected to be criminals.

For the first time, the US government has raised standards with regard to scrutiny of foreign travelers’ identity and background in compliance with the need of the hour for national security. The new regulations for travelers to USA are the latest in the series of steps that the Trump administration has been taking to safeguard the nation and protect the interests. The former officials however term this as a routine exercise to share information between countries.

John Sandweg, a former senior Homeland Security Department official who is now with the firm Frontier Solutions, said that some US-friendly countries may worry about their national privacy if the White House asks for more information than what is already shared. It may be difficult for those countries to prove against some of the risk factors which the US government considers while evaluating a country. The countries may be required to accept their citizens if they are deported from US for certain reasons as per the latest US immigration policy.

Leon Rodriguez, the former director of US Citizenship and Immigration Services, said that actual worries for countries would arise only when the new regulations for travelers to USA would be implemented. There could be a backfire if the processing of US visa applications from US-friendly nations is delayed.

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SOMA (South of Market Area) Pilipinas came into existence as a dedicated socio-cultural district for the Filipino American community in San Francisco in April 2016 when the Board of Supervisors had unanimously passed a legislation to allocate a large chunk of land in San Francisco’s south of market area. SOMA Pilipinas was a long-cherished dream for Filipino Americans who fought racism in the early 1900’s, and had been subjected to displacement since 1970’s.

The Filipino Night Market in SOMA Pilipinas is expected to help Filipino Americans achieve the goals of SOMA: developing initiatives for welfare of Filipinos, protecting the Filipino cultural heritage and improving the Filipino community life in USA.

A progress report with a concrete plan of developing this cultural district was submitted to the board of supervisors in December 2016. The new creative Filipino Night Market in SOMA Pilipinas is the first stepping stone towards the cultural development of Filipino Americans in the Bay Area. This monthly night market is the brain child of a non-profit organization called UNDISCOVERED SF that is designed to enhance economic activity and create public awareness of SOMA Pilipinas. This first Filipino Night Market in SOMA Pilipinas for Filipino Americans will commence from August 18, 2017 and will be held on third Friday of every month.

Also check 12th Annual Filipino Festival in Virginia

UNDISCOVERD SF is conceived and produced by Kultivate Labs, a nonprofit business catalyst. Desi Danganan, a Filipino American entrepreneur and executive director of Kultivate Labs, is one of the vital players working towards the economic development of SOMA Pilipinas. He says, “It’s our way of getting Filipinos to learn and feel comfortable with reinvesting back into the community.”

SOMA Pilipinas was given a grant of $150000 by the city mayor, of which an estimated amount of $130000 would be used to fund the Filipino Night Market in SOMA Pilipinas. It is also working towards procuring more $65000 through funds to meet the expenses and salary of the staff for the creative Filipino Night Market in SOMA Pilipinas.

Ellen Canale, the chief deputy director of communications for the mayor’s office told Hoodline that UNDISCOVERED SF’s Filipino Night Market in SOMA Pilipinas would be a one-stop place for vendors and artistes of the Filipino American community to represent the Filipino American culture and heritage. Filipinos in San Francisco from different walks of life, including music, technology, food, visual arts, social activism and health, are likely to benefit from the Filipino Night Market in SOMA Pilipinas.

The historic SF Mint building will house the Filipino Night Market in SOMA Pilipinas for Filipino Americans. The Filipino night market at the Mint Building will sprawl across an area of 92,000 square feet. The Mint building is famous for being one of the few buildings that survived the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco.

This is indeed a very proud moment for every Filipino American who has finally been realizing their dreams of preserving their cultural identity in the land of opportunities. This Filipino Night Market in SOMA Pilipinas is approximately 13.9 miles from the San Francisco International Airport and is well connected by all means of transport.

FlyHigh is a cultural wing of iEagle Travel, a leading international travel organization booking cheap flights from USA to Manila and Cebu. iEagle Travel is known for the lowest airfare and the best service.

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The organizer of the 12^th Annual Filipino Festival in Virginia is a culturally rich Christian Church community called Our Lady of Lourdes. It is an excellent community with over 1500 families. It also has a Blue-Ribbon school for students from pre-KG to the 8^th grade. The church, Our Lady of Lourdes, is located in the west end of Richmond, VA.

Among the Filipino events in USA, the 12^th Annual Filipino Festival in Virginia celebrates the Land of the promise, Mindanao, with an interest on two indigenous groups Maranao and T’boli. It is scheduled for two days starting from the evening of Friday, August 11 and will continue until the night of Saturday, August 12.

Read More What You don’t Know about Filipino Americans

The 12^th Annual Filipino Festival 2017 will start with the US National Anthem in chorus followed by the Philippine National Anthem. The Pastor of OLL Church will then shower his blessings before the actual event begins.

After the opening ceremony, the 12^th Annual Filipino Festival in Virginia will have a program from D’Originals Band that will constitute of OLL friends, Pinoy Ako Dance and the Richmond Pilipino Class.

After this, we will have Music and Dance followed by Remnants, Rock and Soul. With this the Filipino American festival2017 will be complete for Friday and the 12^th Annual Filipino Festival will enter for a full day party on Saturday.

Also Read The new creative Filipino Night Market in SOMA Pilipinas 

In the morning of Saturday, the festival will start with CFMD Race ‘N’ Roll 5K and Kids Run followed by Awards ceremony of the winners of the race. After a 15 minute break following the race is the opening ceremony of the 12^th Annual Filipino Festival in Virginia on Saturday.

After the opening ceremony, there are several programs in the Children’s parade until evening. The Children’s parade is followed by bands from Pinoy Republik and concludes with Soul Proprietor band.

With this the 12^th Annual Filipino Festival 2017 will conclude in Virginia, USA. Get ready to be a part of this largest Filipino American festival of the year in Henrico, Virginia.

FlyHigh is a cultural wing of iEagle Travel, a leading international travel organization booking cheap flights from USA to Manila and Cebu. iEagle Travel books the best flights with the lowest airfares to Manila and Cebu. 

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The United States was the first to undertake this security measure for inbound flights. The United Kingdom joined the bandwagon after a few hours of the announcement by the US government.

The US ban on electronic devices other than smartphones from cabin or carry-on baggage on inbound flights from Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Doha, Istanbul, Amman, Cairo, Kuwait City, Casablanca, Riyadh and Jeddah applies to the airlines: Etihad Airways, Emirates Airlines, Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines, Saudi Arabian Airlines, Royal Jordanian, Kuwait Airways, Royal Air Maroc, and EgyptAir.

Notably, US airlines and outbound flights from US airports operated by the above-mentioned airlines are exempted from the ban on electronic devices like laptops, tablets, cameras and gaming devices as carry-on items in the cabin.

While there are as many as 10 cities and 9 airlines on the US ban list, the British ban on the same electronic devices applies to 14 airlines operating flights to the UK from and via Turkey, Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia. Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi in the Middle East are excluded from the UK ban list. These 14 airlines include the following:

• British Airways
• Thomas Cook Airlines
• Thomson Airways
• Pegasus Airways
• Turkish Airlines
• Atlas-Global Airlines
• Saudi Arabian Airlines
• Royal Jordanian
• Tunis Air
• Monarch
• EgyptAir
• EasyJet
• Jet2.com
• Middle East Airlines

The ban on electronic devices excluding smartphones from cabin baggage will mostly affect business travelers on international flights to USA and the UK. It has elicited a mixed response from air travelers who are required to check in their valuable electronic gadgets as part of checked baggage in compliance with the restriction. If the permissible weight limit of check-in baggage on flights by those airlines on the UK and USA ban list will be increased to include large electronic devices, is a question now.

However, the ban is not imposed on medical devices in the aircraft cabin as of now. Travelers with medical devices as carry-on items, can board flights only after they go through fool-proof screening at the airports within the purview of the ban.

iEagle Travel is a trusted travel organization for booking economy and business travel on cheap flights from US airports.

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The subway rail station beneath the World Trade Center was a vital transit connection between New York and New Jersey. The inauguration of a new train station restored the connection yesterday after 12 years of delayed construction.The same place which was destroyed in the 9/11 terrorist attacks came alive as the world’s costliest train station in New York City.

Named the World Trade Center Transportation Hub, the new subway train station is a new ray of hope amidst the traumatic memories of what shook the US in 2001. It is expected to lessen the intensity of the trauma though scars of the wounds inflicted to the being of North America will remain. However, the world’s costliest train station in New York will link the PATH commuter rail line to New Jersey with the subway lines across New York.

There is an indoor way for pedestrians to access the Trade Center from the new station building named Oculus. Architected by a Spanish-Swiss architect, the station building is an oval shaped giant structure of steel ribs and glass, with two wings like those of a bird spreading out towards the sky. The building will house an upscale shopping and restaurant plaza which will be unveiled in August this year.

The interior of the world’s costliest train station in New York boasts a huge cathedral-like space which is soaked in natural light filtering through the glass walls at daytime. The bright beauty and innovative infrastructure of the station Oculus has silenced the critics who were vocal against a whopping increase in the budget from US$2 billion to US$3.8 billion over 7 years of delay in the construction.

The World’s costliest train station in New York is partially opened without any official ceremony. On completion, Oculus will be the third largest transportation center in New York City for more than daily 200,000 commuters.

Travel on Cheap Flights from New York to Manila, Bangkok, Dubai, Singapore, Abu Dhabi, Hanoi, Doha, Beijing, Chiang Mai and other major cities on iEagle.com. The lowest airfare is guaranteed!

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Pope Francis will play a pope in Beyond the Sun. And it is the first instance in the history of Roman Catholic Church. Being produced by AMBI Pictures, the film is a family adventure story based on the Gospels, the holy teachings of Jesus Christ in several tales.The story of the movie is plotted around the children from diverse ethnicities, who follow the apostles during their quest for Christ in the world around them. The apostles are twelve chief disciples of Jesus Christ.

What is more surprising is that the Hollywood film Beyond the Sun is an idea from Pope Francis himself. He approached the AMBI Pictures and proposed them to make a film that can convey Jesus Christ’s gospels to young children in an effective fashion. It is not the sole purpose of making Beyond the Sun starring Pope Francis. The producers have another purpose and that is to donate all profits from the film to Los Hogares de Cristoand El Almendro, two Argentinean charities aiding children and young adults in need.

A number of Hollywood films like The Godfather III, Angels and Demons, and Pope Joan have convincingly portrayed papal characters. However, Beyond the Sun is the first celluloid project in Hollywood to cast a real pope for a greater purpose. It is expected to be an enlightening entertainment with an altogether different approach.

“Working with Pope Francis in Beyond the Sun is the best that could happen in my career. I am simply overwhelmed!” expressed Andrea Iervolino, cofounder of the AMBI Pictures. “This is not just a movie for us; it’s a milestone. Who is better than Pope Francis himself to deliver biblical and spiritual messages?” he added.

The Vatican authorities confirmed casting of Pope Francis in Hollywood film Beyond the Sun. However, Monsignor Dario Edoardo Vigann of the Vatican dismissed it as a rumor in his statement, “The Pope is not an actor. But the film may show some video clips featuring him.”

Let’s cross our fingers and wait to see Pope Francis in Beyond the Sun!

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