Browned off

[Clermont]

Well looks like we're on our way over to the PI quicker than we thought. 🚣🏼I got in touch with the immigration mob yesterday and according to them, the wife's Permanent Residency visa has been blown out from 5 months to 21 to 37 months, then another 4 years before citizenship, cause, heavy demand on applicants. It's been 8 months since she was eligible, so, because of our age we have decided to head over , we will be in our 70 ' s before we get through all the paperwork. 😡Anyway, what I will be wanting of you blokes/gals is honest not rumours about visa types for staying in the PI for good, links would be good. 🤔Also when the time is rite I will be needing more info, I hope Mogo 51 reads this, he should have been scammed a few times by now and sorted out the paperwork , 😘thank all.

[Mike J]

If your wife is Filipina your best bet is to apply for a 13A visa, "Foreigner married to a Philippine citizen".  When you and your wife arrive, have your marriage license with you, and and ask for a Balikbayan "BB" entry stamp in your passport.  You will be good for one year without any requirements for a visa.  Use this time to apply for the 13A.  If your year runs out prior to getting the permanent 13A, you will need to get a visitor visa until such time as the final 13A is approved.  You can do a search for 13A Visa to find lots of posts about the actual process.

[scott h]

1 hour ago, Clermont said:

🤔Also when the time is rite I will be needing more info

Advise here is worth exactly what your paying for it 

I suggest (assuming your wife is traveling on a Philippine passport) that you come in on a Balikbayan visa. As said above that give you a year to see if you even like it here. After 6 months you can apply for the 13a that some of us have. You can apply for a 13a visa while in your home country, it just depends on how much time you have before your move and how close to the consulate you live, it will take several trips

good luck 

 

[Gary D]

If you have the time apply before you arrive. Any required paperwork will be more readily available in your home country and your 13a will be permanent, whereas you get a 1 year probationary if applied for in the Philippines. This means going through the process twice at twice the cost.

[jpbago]

I thought that the title is what happened to Filipinas after using that whitening soap for too long.

[mogo51]

11 hours ago, Clermont said:

Well looks like we're on our way over to the PI quicker than we thought. 🚣🏼I got in touch with the immigration mob yesterday and according to them, the wife's Permanent Residency visa has been blown out from 5 months to 21 to 37 months, then another 4 years before citizenship, cause, heavy demand on applicants. It's been 8 months since she was eligible, so, because of our age we have decided to head over , we will be in our 70 ' s before we get through all the paperwork. 😡Anyway, what I will be wanting of you blokes/gals is honest not rumours about visa types for staying in the PI for good, links would be good. 🤔Also when the time is rite I will be needing more info, I hope Mogo 51 reads this, he should have been scammed a few times by now and sorted out the paperwork , 😘thank all.

Good one  Clermont.  I have not had much problems with scamming so far. But I suspect that the woman who we just organised to rent a 2  br furnished apartment, might have jacked up the price a bit, but it is still reasonable and what we want.  It  is very spacious.  

I am not really savvy enough on the visas, but the other members here are well able to advise you.  Look forward to maybe catching up when you get here.  Is your wife still a Philippine citizen.?  you will have some options then. Australian government are a...holes as they make it hard for you to do what you prefer but let every other drop kick and illegal to enter and can't give them enough money.  

It is good here and I like it more every day even allowing for the difficulties that you often encounter.

Edited August 5, 2017 by mogo51

[Dave Hounddriver]

9 hours ago, scott h said:

I suggest (assuming your wife is traveling on a Philippine passport) that you come in on a Balikbayan visa.

Agreed . . .. ..  UNLESS  he is abso-FRIGGIN-lutely certain he is

11 hours ago, Clermont said:

staying in the PI for good, links

in which case he should get a 13a from the Philippine embassy near where he is living before even coming here.  Why?  Because its faster, cheaper, easier and permanent.  And Why be absolutely certain?  Because the BB is free if there is any chance he will change his mind, and if he changes his mind on a 13a there are no refunds and to add insult to injury they charge you every time you want to leave Philippines (think travel tax)

Links?  All over this PEF forum but Clermont can search for them as easy as I can 

[expatuk2014]

My advice is if you can go to the Philipines embassy first

When i applied the Embassy needed triple copies of both mine and the wifes birth certificates

Bank statements , police report, a medical report and XRay for me which had to be put onto a cd.

Funny thing was the medical dept in the bi in Manila couldnt use the Cd as they were still running windows xp !

It took 2 trips from Southampton for me.

Got my 13a visa on the second trip .

Its  a lot better than the immigration in Manila.

And theres no fixers 

However you may stiil have to go to Manila to get your 13a ACR card

Im told these may be available soon from the BI satelitte offices in your area.

Then of course theres the Annual reporting where the rules change every year !

Once you have settled here my advice again if its possible is to do as much as you

Can such as Annual reporting etc and any immigration problems in the same BI office each year

Stay away from Manila unless you really have to go there

 

Edited August 5, 2017 by expatuk2014

[AlwaysRt]

1 hour ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

Agreed . . .. ..  UNLESS  he is abso-FRIGGIN-lutely certain he is

in which case he should get a 13a from the Philippine embassy near where he is living before even coming here.  Why?  Because its faster, cheaper, easier and permanent.  And Why be absolutely certain?  Because the BB is free if there is any chance he will change his mind, and if he changes his mind on a 13a there are no refunds and to add insult to injury they charge you every time you want to leave Philippines (think travel tax)

Links?  All over this PEF forum but Clermont can search for them as easy as I can 

@Clermont I concur and assume this is going to be the advise most given. Can't get any more honest and factual than this.

[hk blues]

I went down the 13A route, and did my application in Hong Kong. One trip to get the paperwork, a second to hand in everything I needed, and picked up the visa on the 3rd. Very, very simple provided you have all the necessary paperwork at hand.

When I arrived here, handed over the envelope the Hong Kong guys gave me to the BI within 7 days, had a super-quick medical interview (500php) because my Hong Kong medical report was lost (hmmm...) and the BI here in Iloilo did the ACER application - card arrived about 1 month later so no need to trek to Manila.

Permanent from Day 1, cheaper, faster and I assume less troublesome than doing everything when you arrive here. I'm not sure why anyone would not do it that way unless they don't have the time, but I'd say it took about 1 month max.