by – Glen Palaca Hubahib

Francis Law Center

The origin of citizenship dates to the Ancient Greece. Citizens have certain rights. Most importantly, political right – to life and liberty, among others. Hence, as a citizen in a democratic country it is universally recognized that you cannot be deprived of life, liberty and property without due process of law. Generally, the police need a warrant before you can be arrested. If the government wants your property, it must go through court proceedings.

Since the Roman time citizens have enjoyed protection. City walls are erected to protect citizens from barbarians. In modern times, citizenship of the wealthy nations enjoyed the best protection. Their government moves heaven and earth to secure the release of citizens who are detained in foreign soil. For example:

  1. The United States secured the release of convicted spy Paul Whelan from Russia in August 2024 in one of the largest prisoner swaps since the end of the Cold War. The complex deal came after months of sensitive negotiations between the U.S., Russia, Germany, Slovenia, Poland and Norway. Each country strongly advocated the release of their detained citizens.
  2. Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard, after decades of intense Jewish lobby in the United States. had his sentence commuted and returned to Israel on a private plane owned by Jewish US billionaire Sheldon Adelson on December 30, 2020. Upon arrival, he was greeted by Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu and Intelligence Minister Eli Cohen and was hailed as a hero.
  3. On December 1, 2018, Meng Wanzhou, the board deputy chairperson and daughter of the founder of the Chinese multinational technology corporation Huawei was arrested upon arrival at Vancouver International Airport by Canada Border Services Agency at the request of the United States Department of Justice for violating sanctions against Iran. In a complex deal through a deferred prosecution agreement she was released in exchange of two Canadian citizens, Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, who were detained in China.

          In the Philippines, we have a weird situation where the government employing its own police force forcibly and without due process surrendered a Filipino to a foreign tribunal. You may not like President Rodrigo Duterte but it sends a wrong signal to foreign investors that they are not protected in the Philippines. For Filipinos, it is not reassuring that anybody will be surrendered to a foreign state regardless of the politics.

          Now we proceed with the discussion of Student Visa in the United States.

College Cliffs

STUDENT VISA:

If you would like to study as a full-time student in the United States, you will generally need a student visa. There are two nonimmigrant visa categories for persons wishing to study in the United States. These visas are commonly known as the F and M visas.

You may enter the F-1 or M-1 visa category provided you meet the following criteria:

  • You must be enrolled in an academic educational program, a language-training program, or a vocational program.
  • Your school must be approved by the Student and Exchange Visitors Program, Immigration & Customs Enforcement.
  • You must be enrolled as a full-time student at the institution.
  • You must be proficient in English or be enrolled in courses leading to English proficiency.
  • You must have sufficient funds available for self-support during the entire proposed course of study.
  • You must maintain a residence abroad which you have no intention of giving up.

F-1 students may also be eligible to work off-campus on a case-by-case basis as a result of special situations such as severe economic hardship or special student relief. M-1 students may engage in practical training only after they have completed their studies.

[Note: Glen Palaca Hubahib is admitted to practice law in California and the Philippines. He also holds Electrical Engineering and MBA degrees. The article is for information only and is not a legal advice. Send your comments to the author at hubahibg@gmail.com.]