Sticker shock on 6 mo visa

[ITGeek]

I just discovered it was $500 for me to get a 6 mo tourist visa.  The Balikbayan Visa option wasn't available to me when I first came here in March as my asawa was 7 mo's pregnant.  However, I am going back to US in August for a month will definitely fly in with my asawa to Clark Field this time for the Balikbayan visa.

Any recommendations cheapest place to meet?  My first guess would be Hong Kong.  Will I need to also get a throw away ticket?  If so, what are are your recommendations?

Cheers!

[Sander Martin]

33 minutes ago, ITGeek said:

I just discovered it was $500 for me to get a 6 mo tourist visa.  The Balikbayan Visa option wasn't available to me when I first came here in March as my asawa was 7 mo's pregnant.  However, I am going back to US in August for a month will definitely fly in with my asawa to Clark Field this time for the Balikbayan visa.

Any recommendations cheapest place to meet?  My first guess would be Hong Kong.  Will I need to also get a throw away ticket?  If so, what are are your recommendations?

Cheers!

Check HK, Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu. Last time i needed a throw awey ticket i found the cheapest to be Airasia and Manila-Kota Kinabalu. Paid 40usd.

Where in Asia will you land on your flight from US? That will probably be the best place for her to meet you. You dont want to land to HK and fly to KL or Kota Kinabalu to meet here there, as your extra flight will probably eat awey any saving you made having her fly to meet you in a cheaper place.

Edited May 17, 2016 by Sander Martin

[Jollygoodfellow]

Are you staying for a year this time or what is your intentions? 

[Nephi]

Hong Kong is as good a place as any. Just check airfares for different destinations and find the lowest. Just steer your wife away from Cebu Pacific Airlines. They many times will delay a flight for hours and even cancel without warning or reason. That would leave you sitting and waiting somewhere for two or three days and that gets expensive.

If you are staying this time a 13A perm resident visa is the way to go rather than paying so much.

 

Nephi

[Sander Martin]

52 minutes ago, Nephi said:

Hong Kong is as good a place as any. Just check airfares for different destinations and find the lowest. Just steer your wife away from Cebu Pacific Airlines. They many times will delay a flight for hours and even cancel without warning or reason. That would leave you sitting and waiting somewhere for two or three days and that gets expensive.

If you are staying this time a 13A perm resident visa is the way to go rather than paying so much.

 

Nephi

I think one of them has to wait anyways. I dont think she can catch a flight, go thru immigration and get the same flight going back to Phills with him. Best to have a small holiday in Hong Kong (or wherever you intend to fly to). Even tho Cebu Pacific xxxx me over last flight, then they are still the cheapest. I had 1 bad flight out of 15 good ones. They are alot cheaper than Philippines Airlines for sure... I specially like their self check in machines at the terminals in Philippines, that for some reason none of the Filipinos use. I allways use them and most of the time i can choose a free exit row seat (helps alot if your 185cm/6.1 in a plane built for midgets). Websites like seatguru.com are really helpful with online or self check in to choose the best seats possible???.

Delays here are a norm for all airlines... Internatsional flights seem to be much better the the flights in Philippines.

Edited May 17, 2016 by Sander Martin

[frosty (chris)]

1 hour ago, Nephi said:

Just steer your wife away from Cebu Pacific Airlines.

I know Cebu Airlines get a bad rap and sometimes well deserved but I have only used them 5 times and never had a problem, both my daughters used them also with the same results as me.

[OnMyWay]

2 hours ago, ITGeek said:

I just discovered it was $500 for me to get a 6 mo tourist visa.

I'm confused.  You are leaving in August and it is mid-May now.  I would appear you don't need a 6 month visa.  Maybe 4 months more or maybe 5.

If you do need it, $500??  Where did you get this cost?  I paid about $162 for two 6 month extensions and about $220 for one that included ACR renewal.  I have all my tourist visa costs posted in another thread.

[Sander Martin]

26 minutes ago, OnMyWay said:

I'm confused.  You are leaving in August and it is mid-May now.  I would appear you don't need a 6 month visa.  Maybe 4 months more or maybe 5.

If you do need it, $500??  Where did you get this cost?  I paid about $162 for two 6 month extensions and about $220 for one that included ACR renewal.  I have all my tourist visa costs posted in another thread.

The 500usd seems strange to me aswell. Just did a 2 month+ACR and costed me 7500 pesos or so (160-170). Cant see 6 month extention costing 500usd, even with ACR. ACR and the express fees alone were more than a half of the 160-170usd i paid.

[Nephi]

34 minutes ago, Sander Martin said:

The 500usd seems strange to me aswell. Just did a 2 month+ACR and costed me 7500 pesos or so (160-170). Cant see 6 month extention costing 500usd, even with ACR. ACR and the express fees alone were more than a half of the 160-170usd i paid.

Absolutely-agree 100%. Someone saw this guy coming and took him to the cleaners. It happens..

[ITGeek]

1 hour ago, Sander Martin said:

The 500usd seems strange to me aswell. Just did a 2 month+ACR and costed me 7500 pesos or so (160-170). Cant see 6 month extention costing 500usd, even with ACR. ACR and the express fees alone were more than a half of the 160-170usd i paid.

1 hour ago, Nephi said:

Absolutely-agree 100%. Someone saw this guy coming and took him to the cleaners. It happens..

Originally, I planned to get 13a resident visa before I came here.  But with time limitations, it was better to go tourist route.  I'm returning to US in August for about a month, then plan to meet my asawa in Hong Kong, will fly Asiana since I have Diamond Membership.  For HK tickets, I'll seach for cheapest tickets as time gets closer.  Get the Balikbayan stamp and plan to apply for 13a once I'm back here.  It's too bad I wasted $960 on US CR-130 fees but that was before I found out I was going to be father.  At least now it will be easier for my asawa and her daughter to get tourist visas.  We'll take care of my asawa's tourist visa and filing birth abroad when I upon my return in September.  Shouldn't be any problems getting tourist visas now that my asawa and can demonstrate compelling reason for returning to Philippines (my residency, house, financials, etc) :)