Srrv

[Tukaram (Tim)]

 

It might be worthwhile to double check. If you are receiving a small pension, the deposit amount is reduced to $10,000.

Not if he's under 50.

 

 

Yep - under 50.  Actually I forgot that I can do a SRRV Smile for $20,000 but that is still ridiculously high.   :tiphat:

[Markham]

PRA is under the Department of Tourism and BI I believe is under the Department of Foreign Affairs.

The Bureau of Immigration is under the Department of Justice, not DFA.

 

Similarly, the Department of Tourism wanted the visa waiver to be 180 days. I won't get into the politics, but the BI said, "No." The reason is loss of revenues for them. The compromise is 180 days, but you have to pay for it.

I think you meant to type "30" :)

 

My question for the PRA, since the main requirement is approval by their Board of Director, why not extend the SRRV Courtesy to retired military personnel from other countries like Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom? Why limit it to retired US military personnel? I Am Bob brought up this issue about six months ago.

The answer is, I suspect, down to the US liberation from the Japanese. The fact that British and Anzac forces were also involved has been neatly overshadowed.

[lysander6]

You know, when you consider that the PI is so attractive from a hospitality and cost of living perspective the amount of money is not that significant. 

 

I am looking forward to the PRA and BI moving on a passport/citizenship program. 

 

Economic citizenship in St. Kitts/Nevis will cost you 250,000 and in Kampuchea 80,000.

 

With the US staring at insolvency in the future, the PI has a tremendous opportunity here to provide a safe haven for early adopters escaping that very situation.  JJ appears to be leaning forward to open the gates for productive folks to come to the PI.

 

Does anyone know what the citizenship path is in the PI if one DOES NOT marry a native Filipino/a citizen?

[JJReyes]

The Bureau of Immigration is under the Department of Justice, not DFA.

 

Thanks for the information. That means the SRRV program requires coordination and cooperation between the Department of Tourism, Department of Justice and Department of Foreign Affairs.

 

I think you meant to type "30"

 

The Ad Hoc Committee created to study visa issues looked into the possibility of a 90 days visa waiver. I shared some of my research work why other countries promoting themselves as retirement destinations have a 90 days visa waiver. For example, Hawaii gets wealthy snowbirds from Japan; Germans go to Florida; and the British like Southern California. (British Airways offers direct flights to San Diego from Heathrow Airport.) The United States has reciprocal visa waiver programs with 36 countries, including these three. Canadians entry is based on a separate treaty. The Ad Hoc Committee also looked into the possibility of a 180 days visa waiver, but the BI representatives rejected the proposal. They want the revenues from visa fees. 

 

By the way, the snowbirds preference is based on real estate ownership by nationality. Florida real estate was "saved" after the Germans started buying distressed properties after the 2008 economic collapse.

 

The answer is, I suspect, down to the US liberation from the Japanese. The fact that British and Anzac forces were also involved has been neatly overshadowed.

 

Another possible reason is the portability of Tri-Care, the US military medical insurance. The Philippines is also promoting themselves as a medical tourism destination in competition with Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and India. I will be at a Los Angeles conference this coming week. Several presenters are from the Philippine healthcare industry.

[BrettGC]

Economic citizenship in St. Kitts/Nevis will cost you 250,000 and in Kampuchea 80,000.

 

There is no retirement visa in Cambodia (hasn't been Kampuchea since 1989 when the Vietnamese withdrew after kicking out the Khmer Rouge in 1979) but a 12 month "business" visa or a 1 month tourist visa ($20US not extendable within the country - open border with Thailand, most do it there).  Extending the business visa is relatively simple:

 

"There are two ways of getting an extension (one official and one unofficial) and, unsurprisingly, the time and money involved differ greatly. Officially, a one-month extension costs US$35, three months US$65, six months US$125, and one year US$200; your passport will be held for 25 days and there will be more paperwork than a even communist bureaucrat could dream up. This is fine for expats with an employer to make the ­arrangements, but those on their own really need to go unofficial. They don’t call it corruption in Cambodia but ‘under the table’, and you can have your passport back the next day for the inflated prices of US$45 for one month, US$80 for three months, US$165 for six months and US$265 for one year. Once you are one of the ‘unofficials’, it is pretty straightforward to extend the visa ad infinitum." 

 

I did a lot of research, it was one of my options before I met SAO. 

 

[JJReyes]

Economic citizenship in St. Kitts/Nevis will cost you 250,000 and in Kampuchea 80,000.   With the US staring at insolvency in the future, the PI has a tremendous opportunity here to provide a safe haven for early adopters escaping that very situation.  JJ appears to be leaning forward to open the gates for productive folks to come to the PI.   Does anyone know what the citizenship path is in the PI if one DOES NOT marry a native Filipino/a citizen?

 

The United States offers 10,000 EB-5 Treaty Investor visas a year. The investment requirement is either $1,000,000 or $500,000 depending on location. Lower investment is for inner city and rural areas. After about two years, the visa holder receives permanent resident status (greencard) and the opportunity to apply for US citizenship five years later. Last time I checked, about 70% of the applicants are wealthy Chinese.

 

The unofficial history of the Philippine Retirement Authority was to provide legitimacy for ethnic Chinese in the Philippines who had no legal status. This is the reason for the high investment/deposit amount. I have forgotten the correct amount, but originally it was something like $125,000 more than 30 years ago. You can also apply for the retirement visa at age 35 years. If you look at the PRA data, something like 60% to 70% of the applicants are Chinese. 

[BrettGC]

 

The Bureau of Immigration is under the Department of Justice, not DFA.

 

Thanks for the information. That means the SRRV program requires coordination and cooperation between the Department of Tourism, Department of Justice and Department of Foreign Affairs.

 

 

 

I think you meant to type "30"

 

The Ad Hoc Committee created to study visa issues looked into the possibility of a 90 days visa waiver. I shared some of my research work why other countries promoting themselves as retirement destinations have a 90 days visa waiver. For example, Hawaii gets wealthy snowbirds from Japan; Germans go to Florida; and the British like Southern California. (British Airways offers direct flights to San Diego from Heathrow Airport.) The United States has reciprocal visa waiver programs with 36 countries, including these three. Canadians entry is based on a separate treaty. The Ad Hoc Committee also looked into the possibility of a 180 days visa waiver, but the BI representatives rejected the proposal. They want the revenues from visa fees. 

 

By the way, the snowbirds preference is based on real estate ownership by nationality. Florida real estate was "saved" after the Germans started buying distressed properties after the 2008 economic collapse.

 

 

 

The answer is, I suspect, down to the US liberation from the Japanese. The fact that British and Anzac forces were also involved has been neatly overshadowed.

 

Another possible reason is the portability of Tri-Care, the US military medical insurance. The Philippines is also promoting themselves as a medical tourism destination in competition with Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and India. I will be at a Los Angeles conference this coming week. Several presenters are from the Philippine healthcare industry.

 

 

 

Your last point is very salient JJ. I think that's what a lot of Aussies forget; we have no entitlement to Medicare if we cannot prove we're resident in Australia, regardless of citizenship, so no quick flight home to take advantage of a "better" health care system if you reside out of Australia.  I believe it comes down to paying the Medicare levy or not.  Another thing to consider is that there is no medical coverage for Australian veterans other than that the rest of Australians receive or pay for themselves, unless you're in receipt of a Dept of Vet Affairs payment for disability incurred during service; even then I'm not sure it's transportable overseas but there may be reciprocal agreements in place that I'm unaware of. 

 

Edit:  List of countries with reciprocal health care agreements with Australia:

 

• Belgium
• Finland
• Italy
• Malta
• Netherlands
• New Zealand
• Norway
• Republic of Ireland
• Slovenia
• Sweden
• United Kingdom

Any of the traditional retirement countries in Asia are absent.

 

Just as an aside guys, as an Aussie, and you're under the age to receive your lump-sum superannuation, if you can prove residency in another country you can apply to access this money. 

Edited November 3, 2013 by BrettGC

[JJReyes]

There is no retirement visa in Cambodia (hasn't been Kampuchea since 1989 when the Vietnamese withdrew after kicking out the Khmer Rouge in 1979) but a 12 month "business" visa or a 1 month tourist visa ($20US not extendable within the country - open border with Thailand, most do it there).  Extending the business visa is relatively simple:

 

I read in the Bangkok Post that Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos are moving towards a one visa program. Enter into one country and the visa is good for the other two. Vietnam is also looking into offering retirement visas. Indonesia is considering something similar. 

[BrettGC]

 

There is no retirement visa in Cambodia (hasn't been Kampuchea since 1989 when the Vietnamese withdrew after kicking out the Khmer Rouge in 1979) but a 12 month "business" visa or a 1 month tourist visa ($20US not extendable within the country - open border with Thailand, most do it there).  Extending the business visa is relatively simple:

 

I read in the Bangkok Post that Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos are moving towards a one visa program. Enter into one country and the visa is good for the other two. Vietnam is also looking into offering retirement visas. Indonesia is considering something similar. 

 

 

 

Makes sense, it would explain why Cambodia is considering getting rid of the Business visa.

[JJReyes]

Your last point is very salient JJ. I think that's what a lot of Aussies forget; we have no entitlement to Medicare if we cannot prove we're resident in Australia, regardless of citizenship, so no quick flight home to take advantage of a "better" health care system if you reside out of Australia.  I believe it comes down to paying the Medicare levy or not.  Another thing to consider is that there is no medical coverage for Australian veterans other than that the rest of Australians receive or pay for themselves, unless you're in receipt of a Dept of Vet Affairs payment for disability incurred during service; even then I'm not sure it's transportable overseas but there may be reciprocal agreements in place that I'm unaware of. 

 

I am focusing on the United States since it is a larger market. It will also take time to learn more about the European and Australian senior markets.

 

Starting 2014, my plan is to crisscross the United States in a motorhome to promote the Philippines as a retirement destination. I hope to receive invitations to speak to chambers of commerce, rotary clubs, military groups, civic organizations, etc. on this topic.

 

We will encounter many retired, full-time RVers at the campgrounds. These are seniors who sold their primary residence. Rather than a condominium in Florida, they purchased a Class A or Class C RV costing $350,000 to $1,000,000. (I am buying a Class B.) Well, someday health issues will prevent them from driving and they will require assistance from caregivers. Time to sell the recreation vehicle and move to the Philippines.

 

If I don't achieve my goal, my wife and I will have lots of fun crisscrossing the United States. We are also planning at least one trip using the Trans Canada Highway and possibly the Alaska-Canadian Highway built during WWII. 

Edited November 3, 2013 by JJReyes