I have the Probationary ACR-I card (First year). Can I travel back to the USA for 2 weeks? I read somewhere that I must travel with my wife, if I go out of the Philippines. Is this true?
You can travel to anywhere on a probationary 13a visa as Long as you are back in time to do your annual report or converting to permanent 13 a visa. You need to apply for for permanent resident about 2 months before your probationary 13a runs out or be in the country in the first 60 days of the new year to do your annual report.
Just to say you do not need to travel with your wife either,you can go alone. You will need to pay exit taxes the same as the locals from the airport.
When I went through the 13a probation process, they told me not to leave the country unless it was an extreme emergency or there would be a major paperwork problem... Things may have changed, but I would check it out before leaving during the probation period.... Ron
Two years ago I left the country using my 13A temporary visa without problem. They wanted me back in the Phils 2 months before it's expiry so I could apply for a conversion to 13A permanent. If you return with an expired visa the you start all over again from as a tourist. Be sure to check with the BI regarding criminal record clearance from you home country and an NBI clearance. If you are out of the Phils just prior to your application they may want a USA clearance as you were not in the Phils for the 6 months prior to your application. At one point they would accept an NBI clearance if you had been in the Phils for 6 months or more. The rules on criminal clearance have flip-flopped several times in the last few years. At one point the BI would require a USA criminal clearance authenticated by the Phil Embassy in the US (red ribbon seal). Some of the rules are ambiguous and subjective.