Work Visa to bypass a visa run

[Snowy79]

I noticed a question on a forum about a tourist who has been in the Philippines now for over 3 years and can't escape to do a visa run just now due to the lockdown, and if he does he will be unable to re enter due to being on a tourist visa.

This tourist has got himself a woman and now has a kid.  Obviously he is concerned that if he leaves he may not get back until next year. He was wondering if a way around it would be to get a work visa.  He can get a job from another ex pat. 

Would he have enough of a time from from getting a work permit to applying for a work visa before the 30 day grace period runs out once the immigration re opens?

[hk blues]

7 minutes ago, Snowy79 said:

I noticed a question on a forum about a tourist who has been in the Philippines now for over 3 years and can't escape to do a visa run just now due to the lockdown, and if he does he will be unable to re enter due to being on a tourist visa.

This tourist has got himself a woman and now has a kid.  Obviously he is concerned that if he leaves he may not get back until next year. He was wondering if a way around it would be to get a work visa.  He can get a job from another ex pat. 

Would he have enough of a time from from getting a work permit to applying for a work visa before the 30 day grace period runs out once the immigration re opens?

No idea but I wonder how easy it is to get a work visa as I believe they are not easy to obtain unless he has some unique skills that locals don't.   

What did the BI say about the many who will be in the same situation?

[Snowy79]

9 minutes ago, hk blues said:

No idea but I wonder how easy it is to get a work visa as I believe they are not easy to obtain unless he has some unique skills that locals don't.   

What did the BI say about the many who will be in the same situation?

The official line is once the quarantine is lifted you have 30 days to pay your dues and comply with your visa.  Unfortunately that means he must leave the country to do a run. I've friends working off shore in a similar predicament, they've been living in the Philippines for years and have partners and kids but as they only get 3 weeks leave they never bothered marrying for a visa as the tourist one was free.  Now they are spending the 3 weeks leave stuck in a hotel looking out to their rigs and not expecting to be allowed into the Philippines any time soon.

[hk blues]

30 minutes ago, Snowy79 said:

The official line is once the quarantine is lifted you have 30 days to pay your dues and comply with your visa.  Unfortunately that means he must leave the country to do a run. I've friends working off shore in a similar predicament, they've been living in the Philippines for years and have partners and kids but as they only get 3 weeks leave they never bothered marrying for a visa as the tourist one was free.  Now they are spending the 3 weeks leave stuck in a hotel looking out to their rigs and not expecting to be allowed into the Philippines any time soon.

I'm not sure why he doesn't just do a visa run to wherever he can once the lockdown is lifted and come back as he would normally do - it seems an easier option than the work visa route.  

[GeoffH]

1 hour ago, hk blues said:

I'm not sure why he doesn't just do a visa run to wherever he can once the lockdown is lifted and come back as he would normally do - it seems an easier option than the work visa route.  

Except that he can't come back into the country for months after he leaves because people that were on tourist visas (like him and me) aren't allowed to enter the Philippines at the moment.  I'm sure he doesn't want to be separated from his family any more than I want to be separated from mine.

 

Edited May 28, 2020 by GeoffH

[hk blues]

24 minutes ago, GeoffH said:

Except that he can't come back into the country for months after he leaves because people that were on tourist visas (like him and me) aren't allowed to enter the Philippines at the moment.  I'm sure he doesn't want to be separated from his family any more than I want to be separated from mine.

 

I understand that you were not allowed to re-enter but I didn't know this was going to continue once the lockdown is over.  

[GeoffH]

Just now, hk blues said:

I understand that you were not allowed to re-enter but I didn't know this was going to continue once the lockdown is over.  

I don't think anyone knows how long the border shut down will continue, it certainly hasn't stopped with the change from ECQ to GCQ.

[Freebie]

maybe he could be a POGO worker.. those fine upstanding commie chaps didnt seem to have too much of a problem getting working visas!

[BrettGC]

1 hour ago, hk blues said:

I understand that you were not allowed to re-enter but I didn't know this was going to continue once the lockdown is over.  

Due to restrictions on incoming flights and the fact I'll be on a tourist visa, I'm not planning on being able to visit PI until January 2021 at the earliest and I reckon that may be optimistic.  Internal lockdowns may be winding down but international travel is going to be severly restricted for some time to come.  At least that's the rhetoric coming from most countries.  Even if I apply for the spouse visa, and it's approved before January, I imagine I'll be in lockdown for 14 days at my point of entry.  I may be pleasantly surprised, who knows. 

[fillipino_wannabe]

Everything I've read says they'd let you in if you're married to a Filipino, not actually with a marriage visa? I think they'd let you in on a Balikbayan if you're with your wife but could be wrong.