Best Posts in Thread: SRRV questions

Sir, I can absolutely see someone “flying of the handle” over this if, for example, they planned a typical 6 week visit to the states in January 2020 with a return flight scheduled for March. If I had been that person (I almost was but missed it by a week), I would still be stranded in the states and unable to return to my Philippine home, now in September. Where would I be staying over there? A hotel, still renting a car; who would be watching my place over here? It has been 6 months since I wouldn’t be allowed to come back home. This is not just some made-up “what if” situation, it is very real and many people are stranded abroad due to this arbitrary ban on a visa that is marketed as offering permanent residency in much the same way as a 13a.

Yes, the PRA yo trying hard to fix it; they have been trying since March 2020 but apparently not hard enough or BI us purposely trying to kill the program. They are doing a good job. PRA is a part of the Department of Tourism but BI makes the calls and BI apparently has no sympathy for PRA or its clients. One gets the impression that BI doesn’t really care much for the SRRV program and certainly does not work for its success.

So the travel ban in SRRV exposes it for what it really is, an extended “tourist” visa and not a “resident” visa per se. Anytime there is a ban on tourism, such as a reinstatement of the pandemic ban, after it gets lifted in the future due to future outbreaks that PRA clients cannot predict, you could expect to find yourself stuck outside the country as THOUSANDS are right now.

Go to the PRA Facebook page and see comment after comment after comment from people who cannot return home (if PRA has not pulled that down).

I think I would be justified in “flying off the handle” in your words if I was arbitrarily banned from returning home for an unknown indefinite amount of time when my entire home was relocated to thus country, in my case by a whole house full of goods moved by container, at the encouragement office the program who exempted import taxes in my behalf! We are so lucky that we missed that by just a few days.

For the future, there is a remedy. My wife will need to swear in as a dual and I get a 13a which is a true “permanent resident” more visa unlikely to be banned. And we will get our deposit back.

I would not recommend SRRV to mist people, not if they are making a permanent relocation and moving everything here. You will be here as a tourist and cannot reliably plan to leave and return home again. PRA is obviously embarrassed by this and trying to put it in its best light but it is what it is. Those people who are currently stranded have no idea when they can return home again on their Special Retirement “Tourist” Visas.


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Hi guys! I work with Jemma, the marketer mentioned and recommended by Skipjack. If you have any questions about SRRV, feel free to ask me/us.

We offer free assistance and we submit applications direct to the Makati main office. We can help you even if you are from Dumaguete or in any part of the country. No need to travel to Makati.

 

BTW I am using the maker you gave me. Thanks they have been very good.

 

Thats right. My guy has quite a lot of expenses regarding couriers and what not. His girls do an excellent job and will do anything to help. I'm happy with the outcome, and of course, locked down in Negros, could not get to Cebu. If I get the visa and live long enough, all those fees come back home eventually because no more tourist visa to pay for, traveling to BI and waiting in line, then go back next week to pick up your passport, and no more expensive trips out every three years. It's a big win IMO and hopefully, the bank deposit goes to my partner after I go to the big truck stop in the sky.

 

$1600 was transferred from my bank directly to the PRA bank. The money did not pass thru the hands of the marketer. I doubt I was screwed by the marketer. According to PRA Cebu, accredited marketers are permitted to charge a fee. I'm ok with his fee, they helped me a lot and it was all done smoothly in one foul swoop.

 

If you ask the Dumaguete BI office about restamping 13a, the will tell you NO, just keep your expired passport with the stamp in it.

 

I used an accredited marketer. It was not free. $360 to the marketer. So, some of them are double-dipping. I was also charged $100 for setting up the PRA bank account. That's a new one on me. . I also had to sign an affidavit to the effect that I will lose my $1400 application fee if, for some reason, I am not approved. many ways in this country to grab your money...I'm still waiting to know if I am approved...Btw, going for the extended military SRRV.

 

As soon as divorce is legal in this what I believe the only country without it. My beautiful lady can divorce her drug addict husband. An than I will marry her. She has 3 kids which ll hav come to love. I have been taking care of not the drug addict.

 

Hmm, I wasn't recommending people to get an SRRV over a 13a visa if they have that option.
All I said was that for people who are married and have an SRRV, like yourself, the problem seems to have been fixed (better late than never).