Marriage Visa New requirements for Form 13-A permenant residence visa

Recently the Bureau of Immigration made some changes to the requirements for a Permanent Residence Visa (form 13-a). If there have been changes for tourist visas and ACR requirements, someone may want to comment on that.

The most recent requirement for the 13-A visa is a clearance from the NBI and a Police Clearance from your home country. The foreign police clearance must be authenticated by the Philippine Embassy/Consulate in your country.

Getting an NBI clearance (at least in Manila) was fairly simple and only took 4 hours. There is a foreigner desk on the 3rd floor of the NBI office in Ermita where they will collect your finger prints and help you through their various step. The people on the desk were very helpful and efficient. It may be possible to get an NBI clearance in Dumaguete, I don’t know.

The NBI can collect your finger prints on an internationally recognized form that you can probably submit to the police in your home country. Canada wants the prints on their own form.

Getting a police clearance from Canada via the RCMP was impractical as they want to look at my finger prints on their form for up to 18 weeks. I did find online a private company that will accept the NBI form, digitize the prints and submit them electronically to the RCMP. The RCMP will issue the police clearance within a few days. The company is; Fingerprinting Service Toronto, Lowest Rate $39.00 l Criminal Background Checks, Same Day Service
The company can arrange release of the document to a third party so you can get a friend to sort out the document authentication.

Document Authentication:
1) get the clearance Notarized and sealed by a lawyer
2) Canadian Government Services will authenticate the Notarizes seal
3) The Philippine Embassy/Consulate will authenticate the Canadian Governments authentication.

According to the BI publication handed out in Manila the police clearance does not require authentication if you have been in the Philippines for more than 6 months. I have been here 4 years and they still wanted authentication.

Good Luckhttp://www.dumagueteinfo.com/board/images/smilies/mad2.gif

 

Surprisingly I did not find any information on the BI Website.

I guess I will be informed about it at next annual reporting.

When I got my permanent residency 10 years ago they needed an NBI clearance already, so they have that one.

 

Is it my information that is suprising or the BI website not being up todate?

Three weeks before leaving for Manila I went to the BI in Dumaguete to get a list of requirements.
The NBI clearance and foriegn clearance were not on the list.
On arrival at BI in Manila they pencilled in the additinal requirements for me and other foriegners.
More than a few people were flipping out at the service counters.
The unannounced requirements have cost me a few pesos and an extra trip to Manila.

A few months ago the NBI found a pedophile wanted in his home country. This person had been living under their noses for many years.
The knee jerk reaction was to require the police clearances.

 

As The Dane said, the NBI clearance has been there for at least 10 years.
Is the clearance from your home country a requirement when you apply for the 13a or do you have to submit it even if you had your 13a for over 10 years? I hope they can't revoke a 10 year old 13a if you don't have one. Not even sure I can get one as I emigrated over 15 years ago.

 

Last year I recieved a 13-A probationary visa, the only clearance requirement was the BI clearance certificate. I do not remeber them wanting an NBI for my probationary visa, maybe they did. The NBI clearance is a small inconvienience. A few weeks ago I went to convert my 13-A probationary to a permanent visa they required both NBI and country of origin clearances.
Clearance requirements may only be an issue when the visa must be renewed. I was converting from a probationary to permanent visa.
If you record is clear in your home country you should have no trouble. If you are wanted at home 15 years ago then you are probably still wanted.
At my interview they were not clear as to wether my record need to be "clean" or just "not a fugitive".

It's my opinion they want to remove some of the "trash" from the country.

 

Well. Depends on countries. In Sweden crimes are written of after a certain number of years, depending on the severity of the crime.
Besides, I don't think being suspect for a crime will show up in a clearance, as you are innocent until proven guilty, which you are not until you are proven guilty in a court.
But, back to my concern, as I'm not wanted, never convicted, and been abroad for 15 years, I don't think my home country can issue a clearance. And if they can, it will not reflect what I've done in recent years. NBI Phils would have more up to date info about me if I was a criminal.

 

I assume the above announcement pertains to a "13A" Visa- married to spouse visa, and not a "13" quota visa. Do you know if that is accurate? Thanks

 

The upset people at the service counters were at Immigration in Intramouraos?

Or did they hassle people trying to leave the country?

It's getting close to my annual trip to Denmark and I would hate to have any trouble in Immigration on the way out.

 

But it seems it was when you converted your visa, not for people who already have the 13-a


I am in same boat as denpet, I have lived here over 10 years, I had the quota visa for 10 years, so NBI here knows more about me than any Danish agency would...

 

this is what is found & dumped in the General section on 4/6/13

CHECKLIST OF DOCUMENTARY REQUIREMENTS FOR APPLICATION FOR CONVERSION TO NON-QUOTA IMMIGRANT BY MARRIAGE

(Section 13, Paragraph A)

1.) [ ] Letter request from the petitioner, with a statement that all documents submitted were legally obtained from the corresponding government agencies;

2.) [ ] Duly accomplished and notarized Consolidated General Application Form (BI Form No. RADJR-2012-01);

3.) [ ] Original copy of NSO issued Birth Certificate of the Filipino spouse;

4.) [ ] Original copy of NSO issued Marriage Contract or if the marriage was solemnized abroad, the Original copy of the Marriage Contract authenticated by the Philippine Embassy/Consulate in or nearest the place where the marriage was solemnized, with English translation if written in other foreign language;

5.) [ ] Photocopy of applicant’s Passport (bio-page, admission and authorized stay of at least twenty (20) days from the date of filing);

6.) [ ] Original copy of Bureau of Immigration (BI) Clearance Certificate.

7.) [ ] Joint Affidavit of applicant and petitioner attesting to the authenticity and genuineness of all documents submitted in support of the application;

8.) [ ] Proofs of financial capacity of applicant and/or petitioner during their permanent residence in the Philippines.


If in the application the applicant is joined by his/her unmarried minor children:

1.) [ ] Duly accomplished and notarized Consolidated General Application Form (BI Form No. RADJR-2012-01);

2.) [ ] Original copy of Birth Certificates of unmarried minor children certified or authenticated by the Philippine Embassy/Consulate in or nearest the place where the marriage was solemnized or place of birth, with English translation if written in other foreign language;

3.) [ ] Photocopy of the Passport/s of foreign national’s dependents (bio-page, admission and authorized stay of at least twenty (20) days from the date of filing); and

4.) [ ] Original copy of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) Clearance Certificate.


*Additional Requirement

(Memorandum Order No. RADJR-2012-028)

a. If the applicant has been in the Philippines for less than six (6) months, he shall attach to his application a Police Clearance from his country of origin or residence duly authenticated by the Philippine Embassy
/Consulate at the place of issuance or nearest to it, with English translation, if written in another foreign language.

b. If the applicant has been in the Philippines for six (6) months or more, he shall, in addition to the Police Clearance from his country of origin or residence prior to his arrival in the Philippines, attach to his application a National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Clearance.

Should you have other immigration-related queries, please do not hesitate to call the BI Helpdesk Hotline at (632) 524-3769 or (632) 524-3824, visit our website at The Bureau of Immigration, Philippines Official Website - MAIN or like us on Facebook: officialbureauofimmigration and follow us on Twitter: immigrationPH