Proposed New Visa

[JJReyes]

I returned to Honolulu a few hours ago after two weeks in the Philippines. Two days were spent attending the Philippine Retirement & Healthcare Summit at the Dusit Thani Hotel. I also had a 3.5 hours private meeting with Dr. Vernie Atienza, General Manager, Philippine Retirement Authority. More about my meeting in an another posting. 

 

The visa waiver will remain 21 days. The previous announcements of a 30 days visa by the Department of Tourism were wrong because the Bureau of Immigration (BI) is the authorizing agency.

 

The proposed new visa is a six months extension after the initial 21 days visa waiver. The subsequent renewals are for periods totaling 24 months. Thereafter, the person has to depart from the Philippines or change their visa status. The multi-agency task force is still waiting for the BI to propose the fees for the six months extension and any additional extensions.

 

It sounds like this will be "revenue neutral" for the BI. The main advantage is greater efficiency. You don't have to continually line-up at the BI to receive extensions. Although it was not clearly stated, my assumption is you need to obtain the ACR card with the first six months extension.  

[Bruce]

obtain the ACR card with the first six months extension.

 

Under the current rules, I had to apply for the ACR card at the same time I applied for my 2nd exntion. While I still have not received it, I paid for it when I paid for the 2nd extention. Good for 1 year.

[sonjack2847]

 

obtain the ACR card with the first six months extension.

 

Under the current rules, I had to apply for the ACR card at the same time I applied for my 2nd exntion. While I still have not received it, I paid for it when I paid for the 2nd extention. Good for 1 year.

 

My ACR card expired last October I have been to the BI 3 times since and asked about a new card and was told it did not need renewing. So I don`t know what the rules for the card are.

[Dave Hounddriver]

If you renew your tourist Visa in Mandaue they don't care about the renewal.  In Tacloban they get ask you to renew it.  Every office makes their own rules, somewhat like the dress code rules.

 

Edit:  About the 'new visa proposal' in the opening post:  I'll believe it when they give/sell me one.

Edited April 28, 2013 by Dave Hounddriver

[Markham]

The proposed new visa is a six months extension after the initial 21 days visa waiver. The subsequent renewals are for periods totaling 24 months. Thereafter, the person has to depart from the Philippines or change their visa status. The multi-agency task force is still waiting for the BI to propose the fees for the six months extension and any additional extensions.

It sounds like this will be "revenue neutral" for the BI. The main advantage is greater efficiency. You don't have to continually line-up at the BI to receive extensions. Although it was not clearly stated, my assumption is you need to obtain the ACR card with the first six months extension.

From friends we have who work for BI, it's becoming clear that the Philippines does not want long-stay foreigners living here on tourist visas and is likely to make it increasingly inconvenient to do so. I too have heard about a proposed six-month visa which would have to be applied for within the initial 21-day waiver period - or within 59 days for 9(a) holders. The requirements may well include providing proof of financial means and a Police Clearance certificate issued by the applicant's home country.

I disagree with JJ in other areas, though. I believe it is highly unlikely that more than two six-month extensions will be granted - ie: a total stay of just over one year. BI would argue that there is a range of other visas available for those wishing to stay longer. And secondly, I very much doubt that it will be revenue-neutral: BI is a major revenue-earning department whose financial targets are increased year-on-year. These new visas will likely cost just as much, if not a bit more, than tourists currently pay for an equivalent period of time.

[Papa Carl]

Not sure if this is the correct place to post this, but as it is related to my visa and my ACR card, here goes.

 

I made the mistake of changing my status from British to Canadian? Why, well simply put, it costs less to get my Canadian Passport than it does to get my British Passport, that and the fact that you can process everything in the Canadian Embassy, where as the British Embassy no longer processes passports and all documents etc. need to be sent to Hong Kong for processing? Why?.... cost cutting I guess.

 

Needless to say, I forgot I was in the Philippines!

 

Nightmare!

 

I had to change my status from 13A back to a tourist, and renew this 5 times and pay the extra penalties because no one at the Immigration knew how to deal with this, and reapply for my 13A with my wife, and start all over again for a probationary period of 12 months! What a nightmare, this entire process almost took 8 months!!!! And unfortunately for me, both my Canadian and British Passports ran out and needed to be renewed!

 

They said at immigration, (direct from the top man) this has never been done before and we don't have a set procedure on how to deal with it, therefore you need to start all over again, even though on my original 13A and on my ACR card it clearly states British/Canadian! By the way the same goes for my marriage certificate, and our daughters birth certificate, that is British/Canadian. As I was trying to think ahead in regards to any problems with my daughter wanted to get status in either country.

 

Every time there is a new administration, they change all the people at the top, so your connections usually don't work.

 

ONLY IN THE PHILIPPINES!!! 

 

Ha, glad it is over, was driving around, without a Philippine Drivers license, and no passport, or ACR card for almost 1 year, always looking over my shoulder and waiting to get stopped for some reason or another, and ending up sitting in the local jail trying to explain why I had no ID, but was working and living here!

 

You got to love this country and all it's ......., complicated processes? (ways for individuals to extract more cash from you)

 

Papa Carl

 

PS, I have an even better tale to tell in regards to getting a Customs Accreditation in the Philippines, and the bribes and lenghth of time it takes to secure one, but that will have to be in another post, and I suspect in a different thread.

[JJReyes]

I disagree with JJ in other areas, though. I believe it is highly unlikely that more than two six-month extensions will be granted - ie: a total stay of just over one year. BI would argue that there is a range of other visas available for those wishing to stay longer. And secondly, I very much doubt that it will be revenue-neutral: BI is a major revenue-earning department whose financial targets are increased year-on-year. These new visas will likely cost just as much, if not a bit more, than tourists currently pay for an equivalent period of time.

 

I am merely reporting what was presented by high level government officials during a conference with over 200 delegates from the Philippine retirement and healthcare industry. The meaning of "revenue neutral" is the BI will continue to receive the same fees as the current system, including any annual increases. The benefit for those residing in the Philippines is a more efficient bureaucracy (oxymoron?) in that the number of trips to the BI for renewals will be less. The visa runs will be every 24 months rather than the current system.

 

Dr. Vernie Atienza, General Manager of the Philippine Retirement Authority, promised to send me a copy of the new rules for their SRRV program. It will make it easier for some members of the forum to qualify for a retirement visa. More important, the new program is less expensive. I will post it as soon as I receive a copy and have been given permission to release it. Not everyone can qualify, but a signicant number of forum members may.

 

There is good reason to be highly suspicious of government, but the attitude of the current administration headed by President Noy Aquino is a more liberal policy and welcoming attitude to global retirees.

[Dave Hounddriver]

I made the mistake of changing my status from British to Canadian? Why, well simply put, it costs less to get my Canadian Passport than it does to get my British Passport,

 

But the Canadian Passport (at the moment) is only good for 5 years and your British one is good for 10 so I bet you kick yourself in 5 years time when you have to do it again.

[Papa Carl]

Yes Dave, I did notice that at the time, but as money was the deciding factor I decided to believe that in 5 years time, I would have more money, and that by then I would be able to get my parents birth certificates and their marriage certificate, which was required for my British Passport, but not for my Canadian.

 

Well spotted though.

 

Papa Carl

[jpbago]

 

I made the mistake of changing my status from British to Canadian? Why, well simply put, it costs less to get my Canadian Passport than it does to get my British Passport,

 

But the Canadian Passport (at the moment) is only good for 5 years and your British one is good for 10 so I bet you kick yourself in 5 years time when you have to do it again.

 

 

For adults applying in Canada, the fee for a 5-year ePassport will be $120, and the fee for a 10-year ePassport will be $160. The 10-year ePassport will actually cost Canadians less per year of validity than the current non-electronic 5-year passport (at $87).

View an overview of the new passport fees to come into effect on July 1, 2013.