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GCQ Philippines Update Today

Discussion in 'COVID-19' started by PatO, Jun 30, 2020.

  1. djfinn6230

    djfinn6230 DI Senior Member

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    The US embassy stopped issuing passport renewals and is currently under “indefinite suspension”. As time goes on, more and more passports are set to expire and BI cannot issue visas to passports that expire in less than 6 months. They will supposedly only issue temporary passports for emergency travel. But if you are an expat here trying to keep up with your compliance to local immigration laws, the US Embassy does not care. That is your problem.

    Yes, issuing passports might cause more risk of covid (I don’t think so but I don’t work there) but they could change a few things. Couldn’t they find a way to do this all online? They could do it but they won’t because it us too much trouble or it dis-employs patronage people in redundant processes etc.. The US Embassy is the one that lacks compassion and it doesn’t give a rip about your problems.

    Since the visa expires in March 2021 and you can only get a visa for up to 6 months from passport expiration date (almost ALL countries do this) this is the reason why I talk about the US Embassy difficulties for what must be many people just now coming to a head. For BI purposes, your US passport that expires in March actually expires in September 2020 in terms of issuing visas. And the embassy described it as “indefinite” suspension. No dates, no targets just total shutdown while the staff continues to be paid by our tax dollars of course.

    When those passports whose renewals are under indefinite suspension expire and cannot be renewed in the near future, the embassy will create a whole new group of “undocumented” people in the Philippines which is a serious violation here (like deportation or worse). Hope the Embassy gets off their a$$es and decides to cope with the real world again.

    In the meantime we not only hope but “count on” our Philippinehosts to show compassion and I am pretty sure they will come through as usual.


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  2. andiflip

    andiflip DI Senior Member

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    I am sure they will but with fines etc, but as i have seen so many posts her with many excuses also, i have a wife here, i have a house here, why are you still staying here on a tourist visa, i can't understand that part..
     
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  3. djfinn6230

    djfinn6230 DI Senior Member

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    Right, I wasn’t even talking about tourist visas. Unless you are a citizen, you need a valid country passport up to date within 6 months expiration for the visa. All non-citizens have visas and cards that must be renewed. So no matter how conscientious you are, if the covid shutdowns caught you at the wrong time with respect to passports and visas, the US Embassy seems to be doing the best it can to make it worse.


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  4. JoyDelicacies

    JoyDelicacies DI Member

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  5. JoyDelicacies

    JoyDelicacies DI Member

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    If a US citizen needs a passport, it is available at the US Embassy in Manila. Getting to Manila and back is a separate issue, but is not controlled by the Embassy. The Embassy will do an emergency passport if the need to travel is urgent. Routine passport issuance in the Embassy is suspended because the printing facilities in the US are closed due to Covid.
    This is a quote from the US Embassy, "Currently, ACS Manila is only able to print temporary or limited emergency passports for U.S. citizens with critical travel needs. If you have urgent travel and need an emergency passport, please email the ACS unit in advance at ACSInfoManila@state.gov in order to get an appointment and apply in person. On the subject line, please write “Emergency passport”."

    I would suggest that anyone needing a US passport might want to contact the US Embassy in Manila to explore the options. I don't know if a 3 year deadline to leave the country is considered urgent travel or not.
     
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  6. djfinn6230

    djfinn6230 DI Senior Member

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    I saw that but highly doubted that BI would place a visa stamp for Philippine permanent resident, SRRV or even tourist category on a temporary emergency passport used for travel outside the Philippines. I think it has been a while now (April 1) and the US Agency should be able to contract with some printer companies or reopen their own if they have one, with all paperwork done online. No appearance needed in routine renewals. Government is so d#%m inefficient. You have to know the other huge problem they are creating for everybody is that when they do resume, there will be a huge backlog; will they ever be able to catch up? The longer they are shut down, longer the backlog, probably exponentially as more and more passports expire.


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  7. JoyDelicacies

    JoyDelicacies DI Member

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    My mistake. I thought I was giving a suggestion for a US citizen with an expired passport that was approaching a 3 year exit deadline to leave the country . That's why I said, "I would suggest that anyone needing a US passport might want to contact the US Embassy in Manila to explore the options. I don't know if a 3 year deadline to leave the country is considered urgent travel or not."
    I don't know anything about Philippine permanent residents, srrv or any of those other things. I would ask for deference to my ignorance, as I don't usually assume much or worry about things that don't affect me or that I have no control over. It still might be a good idea to contact the Embassy if a passport is urgently required. Their statement does say, "temporary OR emergency", not just temporary. If one contacts them they could probably give correct advice.
     
  8. djfinn6230

    djfinn6230 DI Senior Member

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    No, I think you have it right. He needs to travel out of country and could actually do that right now except for 1) very valid concerns about exposure to covid and 2) coming back in. He mentioned his passport expired next March and that gives rise to new concerns because whatever visa he gets will be stamped on a passport that is getting close to the 6 month from expire date.

    That almost means that his biggest problem will be to first get a new US passport; however the us (or whatever) embassy only issues temporary ones right now. The other problem as mentioned is coming back and Philippines is not issuing tourist visas at the airport (something I didn’t cover). If they did issue at the airport he would have time to get there 6 months before the March 2021 expiration date if a left now, but not a day later than 6 mi expiration because at even 1 day less than 6 month from expiration, they will not issue you a visa and let you back in (and they are not even issuing those right now as stated).

    I think his first priority would be to somehow plead for a new US passport, a regular one. That is to avoid being with an expired passport which would make him “undocumented” and a serious offense. He really needs to see an immigration attorney; I am very ignorant as to the steps he could take because all of this is so new. At least an attorney, a good one hopefully with reliable relationships with BI, could run interference for him due to these multiple problems.

    I think a good attorney could help; I have heard of cases where attorneys at least claim to be protecting people from heavy fines and blacklists. I know of no current way for him to renew his tourist visa via normal process but wish him the best of luck and am optimistic that a good attorney can protect his interests...somehow.

    As passports expire and travel bans continue, I think this will become a more common occurrence here (as more passport expire) which I believe may work in his favor too because they cannot rationally penalize thousands of people who try but cannot follow the normal process.


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  9. OP
    OP
    PatO

    PatO DI Forum Luminary Highly Rated Poster Showcase Reviewer Veteran Marines

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    Everything is so fluid globally that change will occur and probably be offset by new change.
     
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  10. djfinn6230

    djfinn6230 DI Senior Member

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    The negative impacts of the changes could easily be reduced by anticipation of the impacts of their decisions ahead of time and make necessary provisions before people are swept under the rug.

    As Paul Newman said in the movie, “What we have here is a failure to anticipate” (or something like that).


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