How Many Informal Residents?

[JJReyes]

Then your whole premise is basically flawed. You assume that all 13(a) Visa holders were admitted to the country under the Visa Waiver system, when there is no supporting evidence for that. Some will certainly have been admitted under the VW system but equally others, like me, will have come here with 9(a) Visas and quite a number will have obtained their 13(a) in their home country. You've singled-out 13(a) Visa holders, what about the remaining Section 13 Visa groups: are they classed as "informal" also? By your definition, SRRV holders are also "informal" as some may have arrived under the Visa Waiver system.

 

Round table discussions during a two day conference is not the appropriate venue to debate definitions. I will leave that up to the government and the academic institutions to form committees. The whole thing came about with the presentation of the PRA as to the number of SRRV holders. Current number is approximately 27,000. The issue of informal and other classifications of residents came about. The problem is no one really knows how many are already in-country.

 

Even with the Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW), no one really knows the correct number. I guess even the United States faces a similar problem. We don't know the number of undocumented workers because the southern border is or was very porous.   

[Americano]

One of the items discussed during the Philippine Retirement & Health Summit is the number of informal residents in the Philippines. This would include foreign nationals who arrived on visa waivers with renewals until it is time to make a visa run; residents on a 13A visa; Balikbayans; and Fil-Ams who claim dual citizenship, but who never bothered to register with the government.

We used 180+ days in-country as the definition of a formal or informal resident. There was a family of three from Dumaguete seated at our table. Originally from India, the father is a retired pilot formerly with Philippine Airlines and EVA Airlines. I believe they are now Philippine citizens. He stood up to complain that many informal residents in Dumaguete want information and assistance on retirement visas, but the closest PRA office is Cebu. When asked how many informal residents in his area, the answer was, based on survey done by officials in seven barangays, is 3,000. When asked what nationality, he responded, "Germans!"

You should have seen all the heads that turned. Both the number and nationality were totally unexpected.

During the coffee break, the suggestion by a high ranking PRA official is to organize meetings in Dumaguete and the PRA will send a speaker to Dumaguete to make presentations and to answer questions. Another suggestion is for his wife to become a PRA agent for purposes of visa processing.and assistance. Out of the $1,400 visa application fee, $500 is given to the person who is helping the applicant. This is something for forum members to consider doing as a way to earn extra income. The visa requirements will be liberalized, which should increase the number of applicants. I believe there are already several members of this forum in Cebu and Manila providing the service. The PRA needs more in other areas of the country.

Formal and informal resident has no meaning or impact at all on foreigners in the Philippines if its only being used at a Philippine Retirement & Health Summit. I have never read these terms on the BOI website. All of this talk may be similar to the Department of Tourism saying and publishing that visitors will receive a 30 day visa. The Depart. of Tourism has no authority to issue visas. Some officials pretend they have more authority than they really do.

 

Someone living in the Philippines should call Immigration and ask the question, am I a formal or an informal resident? I would do it but I don't want them to think I'm some kind of idiot.

 

Edited May 5, 2013 by Americano

[JJReyes]

Formal and informal resident has no meaning or impact at all on foreigners in the Philippines if its only being used at a Philippine Retirement & Health Summit. I have never read these terms on the BOI website. All of this talk may be similar to the Department of Tourism saying and publishing that visitors will receive a 30 day visa. The Depart. of Tourism has no authority to issue visas. Some officials pretend they have more authority than they really do. Someone living in the Philippines should call Immigration and ask the question, am I a formal or an informal resident? I would do it but I don't want them to think I'm some kind of idiot.

 

Americano, you hit it on the nail. The situation is one of turf with the Bureau of Immigration claiming ultimate authority as who can and cannot come into the country. Even the Board of Investment offers visas just like the Philippine Retirement Authority, but the BI wants everyone to refer back to them for the final approval. Unfortunately the BI themselves doesn't have the accurate count, which makes it difficult for private industry to plan ahead.

 

I suspect the 30 days visa waiver was approved internally, but with the Department of Tourism jumping the gun and making the announcement, the BI got pissed and just sat on it. In retrospect, if the BI had made the announcement, it would now be the norm. The other bureaucracy that is involved is the Department of Foreign Affairs.  Money is involved in terms of fees and payments, which in turn affect each department's budget.

 

From my personal perspective, if I am involved in marketing the Philippines as a retirement destination, I need to be able to provide accurate information to the American senior housing industry.