It is an understatement to say that the weather has been bad lately in the Philippines. The unexpected flooding has caused loss of life and property. For those intending immigrants who are waiting for their final visa interview, whether to the United States or another country, important documents may have been lost during the past week of flooding and rains. As a consequence, an immigrant visa application is denied because no preparations were made to keep extra copies of documents.

Assuming that all things basic have been prepared for during calamities and acts of God, it won’t hurt to go the extra mile to keep copies of all your important documents that you might need later on such as land titles, wills, certificates, and immigration documents included.

Today, I consulted with several people regarding their immigration concerns. Two of those remind me of the importance of making it a habit to keep copies of documents, especially if you are an intending immigrant. These are all in preparation for natural disasters or events such as flooding, fire, or death.

The first case involved a derivative spouse who was charged with a criminal case back in the 1970’s but which was later dismissed. The main beneficiary, who was petitioned by her U.S. citizen sibling, had waited for more than 20 years for her visa interview. When she was called for her interview, she was easily approved but when it came time for her spouse to be interviewed for his immigrant visa, he was told to produce all court documents relating to the criminal case in question. The problem was that the court records could not be located because the court in which the case was heard burned down and devoured by termites. To add insult to injury, the judge and his defense lawyer had been dead for years. The derivative spouse could only now produce a court certification that the documents cannot be located due to fire and his own affidavit attesting that the case was dismissed. He didn’t keep records of the order of dismissal, police report, or pleadings. Now he is facing a possible visa refusal.

The second case involved also a father who is now being petitioned by his U.S. Citizen son. They could not proceed with the petition because the father had been charged with a criminal case back in the 1990’s in the United States. He had gone back home to the Philippines while the case was pending and never bothered to find out the outcome of the case. He didn’t keep records of the police report or any court records. Now he cannot proceed with his visa application.

The above stories are not uncommon. If you are an intending immigrant, whether to the United States or another country, it is worthwhile for you to keep extra copies of all your documents and keep them in a safe place. Nowadays you can even scan and save them on your PC or burn them on a disc. You would not want to be in a situation where you are refused an immigrant visa after waiting all these years just because you are unable to produce requested documents.

Atty. Michael Templo is an attorney admitted to practice law in New York State and Federal Courts and is a partner at Templo & Templo http://www.templolaw.com with offices in New York, USA and Makati City, Philippines. Atty. Templo specializes in US Immigration matters. Atty. Mike Templo is also a host for the weekly show “Crossing Borders” which airs every Thursday at 10:30PM on ANC and 2:30PM on TFC crossingborderstv.multiply.com.

The discussion above is not intended as legal advice, and cannot be relied upon for any purpose without the services of a qualified professional. For your comments and questions, Atty. Templo can be reached at info@templolaw.com or log on to www.templolaw.com.