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You Don’t Have to Live in a Condo to Have an SRRV

May 2, 2013 by 2 Comments
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I received an important comment/correction from my colleague, the "Subic Sage" regarding this article, so I need to make sure the correction/clarification goes out to as many readers as possible.  Please forgive the re-posting so soon after the original article. I didn't really say anything 'wrong" in that article, but the way I said it could leave a very wrong impression in some people's minds.  There are steps to follow, like 1, then 2, then 3 and so forth.  As the Sage says, you can't … [Read more...]

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Update on the KISS Balikbayan principle

January 15, 2013 by 5 Comments
kiss

Updated yet again and presented for your information and consideration.  Many of you are making the move to the Philippines much harder than it needs to be,  Take action in 2013. Many will recall I have frequently mention the fallacy of spending months of worry, research and even long, expensive trips to Philippine embassies or Consulates involved in getting a permanent resident visa (13(a) or 13(g)) before a couple even comes to live in the Philippines for the first time. Yes it can … [Read more...]

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Bringing A Loved One To The US — Fiancée Visa

December 1, 2012 by 4 Comments
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Previously published.  Significantly updated and corrected, 2 December 2012 If you are sure that the Fiancé(e) Visa is the one for you, then this post will give you a complete overview of what's involved.  As always I try to quote from authoritative sources and in this case you can't get much more authoritative than the USCIS' (United States Citizenship and Immigration Service) own web site ... www.uscis.gov … [Read more...]

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Can A Cow Jump Over The Moon?

October 29, 2012 by 4 Comments
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Really?  Do you think so? Well a young, single woman in the Philippines has about the same chance as the fictional cow if she is trying to get a Tourist Visa to visit the USA.  Possibly even less. Here’s a recent comment and my extended answer to the gentleman’s question.  This ‘fairy tale” type of story comes up here frequently and those of you who are not yet acquainted with the ‘facts of life” regarding US tourist visas really need to think this through and do … [Read more...]

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More On That Pesky Philippine BB Privilege Stamp

October 13, 2012 by 2 Comments
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Questions about travelling to the Philippines, living in the Philippines and retiring in the Philippines can, of course, be complex at times. One place those of you who are confused or uncertain regarding these issues might wish to start learning more is with one of my articles entitled What Everybody Ought to Know About Citizenship and Visas — Permanent Visas You are also well advised to read the “Related” articles which show at the bottom of every post.  In particular, those … [Read more...]

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Do I Need a Round Trip Ticket for a Balikbayan Stamp?

July 14, 2012 by 20 Comments
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Here's a recent comment/question from a reader that is important enough, I think, to merit it’s own article here on the main site. Reason I think this should be highlighted is it points out again what I so frequently find that Filipinos and Former Filipinos seldom get much good information about their own rights and privileges here in the Philippines. I’m delighted to try to spread the news … so many of the questions and requests for help I get are sad, or have no good answer.  This … [Read more...]

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Philippine Visas — KISS

June 23, 2012 by 4 Comments
kissprinc

Recently I had an email from a reader who has been in contact for some time now, with questions about his pending move to the Philippines. This fellow and I had discussed visas and other ways he had been considering in planning his move, and he had narrowed things down to a couple very specific points. Great.  And I was happy to be able to help in providing some specific answers. Problem was, though, he had read so much, ponder so much, compared so many things that he had gotten … [Read more...]

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Is Your Child a Citizen?

August 12, 2011 by 130 Comments
citizen

Is Your Child a Citizen?  Hmm, strange title, Dave.  A Citizen of what country? Ah, that’s the reason for this article.  One might think that would be an easy answer, but I get many queries that show me that a lot of parents, of every different nationality, don’t really know just what the citizenship of their children is … or what it could be … or what it should be. Is Your Child a Citizen? This is pretty important stuff, folks, so let’s look at a few issues that might clear a … [Read more...]

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Green Card and Immigration Attorney Thoughts

June 26, 2011 by 2 Comments
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It's that time of the year again.  I'm starting to see ads encouraging people to enter the US INS Diversity Visa Lottery program, commonly called the Green Card lottery. Use caution, please.  A few facts, especially for Filipinos and other non-US folks who might want to check these offers out: There is no need to pay anyone to enter this lottery.  It's completely free.  Go to the US Immigration official website and avoid charlatans who want to charge you a fee for what you can (and … [Read more...]

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Retirement Visa (SRRV) Philippines

March 12, 2011 by 21 Comments
By a condo like this with a Philippine SRRV

Today I'll talk a little about the Philippine Retirement Visa (SRRV) and who may find it useful. As usual, this blog would write itself if I only let it.  Here's part of a comment exchange between a Canadian reader, Gloria and I regarding living in the Philippines and what visa to use for a foreigner. The SRRV (Special Resident's Retirement Visa) is an official Philippine government program managed by the Philippine Retirement Authority, enacted specifically to serve the needs of … [Read more...]

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Marriage, US Immigration and the Philippines — and the USCIS

November 8, 2010 by 9 Comments
Gurfinkel show schedule

I get a lot of questions here on the blog (always welcome) and also private emails revolving around the marriage process and legalities in the Philippines and the US.  Many of them center around the situation where a person got married, or had a ‘sham” marriage here in the Philippines and now is kind of worried about proving themselves still single. This can be very, very shaky ground.  I’m not really qualified to offer advice in situations like this … although in many cases the … [Read more...]

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Coming to the Philippines as a Balikbayan

May 13, 2010 by 58 Comments
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New readers will want to refer to my recently update article on Why I Left the Philippines. A reader, (thanks, Sam), left a couple great comments, full of questions that many people aside from him want to know, so  decided to make another article out of it. Also, in case anyone has been living under a rock, you already know that we have a new President-Elect here in the Philippines, Mr. "Noynoy" Aquino.  Many of the provisions we currently rely on under the Balik Bayan … [Read more...]

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