I'm not really a criminal! Visa questions

Hi Larry, welcome to the forum.

I am here as a tourist/visitor since march 2020, actually live here and have no recollection of ever needing what you mention. At 4 months here I was automatically given an ACR card with the fees of course. Every 2 months that I renew my visitor visa I get a certification letter stating that I am not on the "hold departure/blacklist, watch list and/or intelligence derogatory records"

I don't have a police record in my home country and been coming back and forward here for 11 odd years and am on my 4th ACR 1 card and don't recall ever having to supply a police check from Australia to them.

From personal experience only and I hope others will chip in with your predicament.

Cheers, Steve.

Hey Larry was wondering how this went, I’m in a similar boat.

What works for me is being married to a citizen of the Philippines I can enter with her, get a BB stamp on my passport and I'm good for a year.  Can keep doing this as long as I enter with my wife each time, never have to deal with immigration, no extra fees.

Mugtek thanks for answering. It’s impossible to find the information on this stuff. I have a drug possession charge from 2008 that I will never be able to get off my record. This is embarrassing for me because it was one stupid night of my life and have been an upstanding person since. But my question is if I’m going to the Philippines I don’t know at what point they would be running a background check

As far as I understand and remember from my previous research is that the Out of Country police report is ONLY needed if your applying for any of the resident visa’s in your first 6 Months here...Once you have been here 6 Months you are Exempted from needing a police report from your home country and you will only have to provide clearance’s from local agencies like dfa, nbi etc, which are listed as requirements for the particular visa you applying for...

I applied for my 13A Permanent Resident Visa after 6 Months living here and never was asked for my home country Police Report Clearance even though I had brought one.

@cdillones I think you can stay forever on extended tourist visas or balikbayan visas every year. The problem is the police report. Now, very important: I may have heard, but I am no expert, that if you have remained on Philippine soil for at least 6 months, BI will accept a Philippine NBI report and not require a report from your home country. I am not sure but suspect it may be true to the point that I think it is worthwhile for you to check it out. Other forum members are invited to chime in if they have information. Otherwise, an SRRV PRA Consultant or visa agency like JRC might be able to let you know.

As far as I understand and remember from my previous research is that the Out of Country police report is ONLY needed if your applying for any of the resident visa’s in your first 6 Months here...Once you have been here 6 Months you are Exempted from needing a police report from your home country and you will only have to provide clearance’s from local agencies like dfa, nbi etc, which are listed as requirements for the particular visa you applying for...
I applied for my 13A Permanent Resident Visa after 6 Months living here and never was asked for my home country Police Report Clearance even though I had brought one.
-@vehicross100

Right so I think this makes all the difference nit only to @cdillones but to everybody worried about their police reports because 1) tourist visa waiver 9A stamp at the airport does not require it, 2) extensions do not require it, 3) 6 Months extensions are easy to wait out the time period after which you no longer need your hone country police report. It is no concern, a moot issue. Just come in and get stamped at the airport abd wait before applying. True, some say that it is easier ti start the process from home country but I don't know about that. I did SRRV completely from within the Philippines wuth no problems.

@danfinn thank you for the information and @vehicross100. So you’re saying if I do the shorter visa extensions each month and manage to stay for 6 months I can then do the bigger extensions which I will only need to show that I have not been in trouble in the Philippines. That would be amazing if so. It just got me messed up cause I’ve been planning on going and staying in PH for a while so it has thrown me off a lot. I honestly couldn’t even find a definitive answer to wether or not NBI was an international check or if it was just for the Philippines. Couldn’t even find if I needed home country police report for ACR card. Anyone know if getting married would also help me or would that bring out the home report as well. I saw someone up there said they can get in with their spouse without even doing anything. It’s also confusing because does that mean I should lie on forms about past convictions….I miss the days when going to a new countries greatest hassle was dysentery and scurvy 

So far everything has worked out fine, line others have mentioned in the processes. I entered in November 2022. Got my 30 day extension.  Then a 60 day and applied for ARC with no need for home country (USA) report. We left the country for 4 days in Thailand in March because I had already booked a "visa run" to reset before the ARC application but had to cancel and rebook to the March date.  Turns out I was worried about nothing.

Came back with reset, and after a couple weeks went back to BI and picked up the ARC card and 30 day extension.  Then last week got a 6 month extension.  That will put me to early November and 2 weeks shy of one year since originally landing to retire. We won't apply for permanent anything until probably March of next year.

As has been mentioned, I haven't needed anything nor had any background checks done. I did get a call last month my record was approved for sealing. I know it takes a little time for that. So everything will be fine next year. But I also won't have to worry about it because I won't apply for anything permanent until next year and then it's just locals.

@cdillones As I said, suggest you contact a pro like a visa or pra consultant before making plans.

@Larry Fisher thank you guys all so much for your input. It really means a lot. I’m sure you feel the way I do being pinned down by a mistake in your past. Can I ask Larry have you just stated no on the parts of forms about criminal history?

@cdillones I don't recall that I've had any forms that asked.  Once I know the sealing of records has been completed I assume the answer becomes no.

@cdillones I don't recall that I've had any forms that asked. Once I know the sealing of records has been completed I assume the answer becomes no.
-@Larry Fisher

Also, if you have been here more thsn 6 months that question should only apply to your time in the Philippines or so it would seem, since they are no longer interested in your US police record. So if your record has been clean in the Philippines the answer should be "no" (no convictions in the Philippines).

I have had a conviction of soughts in the past.

Its not so cut & dry.

Drug runs,arms runs,people smuggling & under age are offences to dont bother applying for any vida other than tourist & thats even questionable of which i have not so they gave me a 10 year ACR-1 at the Manila immigration dept the same day. Non quota.

Having said that i was refused to leave the country in Davao the day before i got that card which by International law immigration are not allowed to do.

Best just go to Manila immigration,they can do it all in 1 day if you are earlier enough,before 9am

I have had a conviction of soughts in the past.
Its not so cut & dry.
Drug runs,arms runs,people smuggling & under age are offences to dont bother applying for any vida other than tourist & thats even questionable of which i have not so they gave me a 10 year ACR-1 at the Manila immigration dept the same day. Non quota.
Having said that i was refused to leave the country in Davao the day before i got that card which by International law immigration are not allowed to do.
Best just go to Manila immigration,they can do it all in 1 day if you are earlier enough,before 9am
-@WHITE ASIAN

I am sorry but I cannot understand this.

1. What is a conviction of soughts?

2. "which i have not so they gave me a 10 year ACR-1 at the Manila immigration dept the same day. Non quota" You did not apply for tourist so they gave you a 10 YEAR ACR-I the same day...What? Very confusing.

3.You wanted to leave the country the day before you received your ACR-I? Why? You didn't need exit clearance I assume so why were you stopped? None of this seems normal.

White Asian said . . . so they gave me a 10 year ACR-1 at the Manila immigration dept the same day. Non quota.

******************************************

You've asked ken8213 what is an ARC card?  So immigration gave you a 10 year ARC card?

A 10 year ACR1 card? 1 year only.

Cheers, Steve.

@Larry Fisher hey man any chance you wouldn’t mind connecting, would love to talk to someone who’s been through the process. Always good to have expats you know. I can leave my email or something or you can and we can go from there

@Enzyte Bob Hi,im in Indonesia working at the moment of a soughts.

I had another look at my card at home there.

My ACR-1 card is 5 years & at the bottom right it has "Permanent Resident".

I originally applied for a non quota visa as i work lets say around South East Asia buying & selling commodities,so i needed a visa that i could come in & out of Pinas possibly up to 15 times a year.

At the Manila airport i pay no airport taxes apart from 2,880 to leave the country & pay no costs coming back into the country.

When i asked at the Manila immigration office they said "congratulations sir" & gave me the card.

This is because i tried to fly out of the country from Davao the day before without the card & they did not allow me to leave the country because i was not in possesion of the ACR-1 card that was validated because it was not processed after a 2 month wait at home for them to send me the card where i now live permantly.

The immigration in Manila apologised that it should never have happened & in fact was a misfortunate mistake on the part of Davao immigration. they gave me my ACR-1 card after waiting in the immigration office for 5 hours.

In Manila you have to pay the fees on the right hand side before entering the gates to board to leave the country.

I have not gone through any fixer or facilitator.

My drivers licence is 10 years as i am now deemed as a "Perm Resident"

My question in here was everybody talks about some Police clearence every year of holding such card,but my wifejust txt me & said no ad i am now a "Perm Resident" of Pinas.

@Enzyte Bob Hi,im in Indonesia working at the moment of a soughts.
I had another look at my card at home there.
My ACR-1 card is 5 years & at the bottom right it has "Permanent Resident".
I originally applied for a non quota visa as i work lets say around South East Asia buying & selling commodities,so i needed a visa that i could come in & out of Pinas possibly up to 15 times a year.
At the Manila airport i pay no airport taxes apart from 2,880 to leave the country & pay no costs coming back into the country.
When i asked at the Manila immigration office they said "congratulations sir" & gave me the card.
This is because i tried to fly out of the country from Davao the day before without the card & they did not allow me to leave the country because i was not in possesion of the ACR-1 card that was validated because it was not processed after a 2 month wait at home for them to send me the card where i now live permantly.
The immigration in Manila apologised that it should never have happened & in fact was a misfortunate mistake on the part of Davao immigration. they gave me my ACR-1 card after waiting in the immigration office for 5 hours.
In Manila you have to pay the fees on the right hand side before entering the gates to board to leave the country.
I have not gone through any fixer or facilitator.
My drivers licence is 10 years as i am now deemed as a "Perm Resident"
My question in here was everybody talks about some Police clearence every year of holding such card,but my wifejust txt me & said no ad i am now a "Perm Resident" of Pinas.
-@WHITE ASIAN

Another guy on a different planet.

Cheers, Steve.

Men Are From Mars

I have had a conviction of soughts in the past.
Its not so cut & dry.
Drug runs,arms runs,people smuggling & under age are offences to dont bother applying for any vida other than tourist & thats even questionable of which i have not so they gave me a 10 year ACR-1 at the Manila immigration dept the same day. Non quota.
Having said that i was refused to leave the country in Davao the day before i got that card which by International law immigration are not allowed to do.
Best just go to Manila immigration,they can do it all in 1 day if you are earlier enough,before 9am
-@WHITE ASIAN

Again, what is a "conviction of soughts"?  I honestly have looked everywhere and nothing comes up. Is this some indonesian term that is equivalent to "conviction of a crime of moral turpitude"? Apparently your conviction, whatever it was, did not prevent you from obtaining some sort of permanent resident visa. Is this some sort of UK or Australian term? You are writing as if you somehow stumbled into a permanent resident visa without knowing exactly what you did or how you did it. You throw out terms like 'soughts' and 10 year SSNR cards or numbers and nobody knows what the H you are talking about. Find out what really happened, maybe your wife knows, and let us know in layman's terms what you have. Did some employer obtain a visa on your behalf? And please find out and tell us what "soughts" means. Many of us are confused and wasting our time trying to answer your questions, whatever your questions are.

White Asian said . . . . My ACR-1 card is 5 years & at the bottom right it has "Permanent Resident".

******************************************

An ACR-1 card is issued for one year and is a probationary card leading up to the 13A card Permanent Card good for five years.

So what do you have?

LOL, first 10 years then 5 years but all know that an ACR1 card in an annual event, though without knowing WHITE ASIANS visa status who could know? A 13a permanent gives a 5 year card, not 10 years and a 9a is 1 year, perhaps he/she should clarify the visa status?

OMO,

Cheers, Steve.

LOL, first 10 years then 5 years but all know that an ACR1 card in an annual event, though without knowing WHITE ASIANS visa status who could know? A 13a permanent gives a 5 year card, not 10 years and a 9a is 1 year, perhaps he/she should clarify the visa status?
OMO,

Cheers, Steve.
-@bigpearl

He never answers any questions as minor details like visa status do not concern him. He is just causing a lot of churn in this group; one thing I know is if he will not respond to questions, he is not worth our advice. He seems to have gotten a permanent resident visa handed to him  on a silver platter at immigration without even knowing what happened. Now, how can that be when following the rather tedious legal process for permanent residency?

Let's see Dan if he responds, backs up ludicrous statements.

Remember the old Supertramp song? "Dreamer".

Cheers, Steve.