BALIKBAYAN VISA (13G) VS. SRR VISA | PHILIPPINE RETIREMENT OPTIONS FOR FORMER FILIPINO CITIZENS

Balikbayan Visa; Philippine Balikbayan Visa; 13G Visa; 13g visa; 13 (g) visa; Travel visa; Philippine Immigration Act of 1940, Philippine Immigration Law; Philippine Immigration Rules; Special Resident Retiree’s Visa; SRRV; Philippine Retirement Authority or PRA; Permanent residency as alternative to dual citizenship; When dual citizenship is not an option; Unwilling to become a Philippine dual citizen; Department of Tourism; Retirement in the Philippines; Philippine Retirement Program for Expats; How to retire in the Philippines for former Filipinos; Former Filipino citizens; Naturalized citizens in foreign country; Philippine vlog; Vlog Philippines; Philippine vlogger; Vlogger Philippines; Filipino vlog; Filipino vlogger; Overseas Filipinos; Overseas Filipino; Filipino Overseas; Filipinos Overseas; Filipino Community Abroad; Filipino-American Community; Fil-Am Community; Filipino-Canadian Community; Filipino-Australian Community; British-Filipino Community; Filipinos in America; Filipinos in Canada; Philippine expats; foreign expats in the Philippines; Retire in the Philippines; How to apply for Philippine visa; Where to apply for Philippine Visa; Where to apply for SRRV; How to apply for SRRV; SRRVisa; Alien Certificate of Registration or ACR-I Card; Distinction between SRRV and 13G Visa: First, ang SRR Visa po ay isang special non-immigrant visa, whereas ang 13G or Balikbayan Visa naman po ay isang non-quota immigrant visa. SRR visa is special in the sense that it is not listed among those non-immigrant visas under Section 9 of the Philippine Immigration Act of 1950 and its purpose is specific to retirement. 13G Visa, on the other hand, is among those non-quota immigrant visa listed under Section 13 of the Act. It is called non-quota because it is not subject to the limitations on the number of applications to be accepted by the Bureau of Immigration. Second, upang kayo po ay ma- qualify for 13G Visa or Balikbayan Visa, kailangang kayo po ay isang former natural born Filipino citizen, who lost your Philippine citizenship when you got naturalized as a citizen of a foreign country. On the other hand, for you to qualify for the Special Resident Retiree’s visa, it does not make a distinction whether you are a natural born Filipino citizen or not; it is sufficient that you are a former Filipino citizen. The third one is more of a similarity. In both types of visa, you may include in your application your spouse and your minor children. Fourth, you can apply for SRR Visa only kung kayo po ay nasa Pilipinas; whereas you don’t need to be in the Philippines to apply for 13G Visa because you can submit your application to the Philippine embassy or consulate in the country where you are. That is why, requirement po sa SRR Visa na kayo ay may valid at current na Temporary Visitor’s Visa at the time of your application. Fifth, both the 13G Visa and the SRR visa are issued by the Bureau of Immigration, but the applications for SRR Visa are initially submitted to the Philippine Retirement Authority which is the implementing agency of the Philippine Retirement Program for expats, subject to the final approval from the Bureau of Immigration. Sixth, the application fee for 13G Visa is US $150; while the application fee for SRRV is US $1,400, plus the annual fee of US$360. Seventh, the SRRV requires a visa deposit depending on the type of the SSR Visa. For SRRV Classic for instance, it requires a visa deposit of US$1,500. For the 13G Visa, there is no visa deposit required. Eighth, the 13G Visa holder is issued an Alien Certificate of Registration or ACR-I Card which must be renewed annually. That is why you need to report to the Bureau of Immigration annually. The SRRV holder, on the other hand, is not issued an ACR-I Card and therefore there is no requirement of annual reporting to the Bureau of Immigration. Instead, the SRRV holder is issued a PRA ID Card, which must also be renewed yearly. I would to include another distinction. In 13G Visa, a foreign national or citizen can become a permanent resident in the Philippines if he or she is married to a former natural born Filipino citizen and the permanent resident visa is co-terminous with the subsistence of the marriage; meaning, when the marriage is terminated, that provides the ground for the termination of the visa as well. But in the SRRV, a foreign national can apply regardless of whether or not he or she is married to a former Filipino citizen. And finally, as an SRRV holder, you are entitled to the privileges and assistance provided by the Philippine Retirement Authority or PRA, which privileges and assistance are not available for a 13G Visa holder. Among these are the discount privileges given by merchant partners of the PRA and the assistance in transacting with other government agencies such as in obtaining an Alien Employment Permit from the Department of Labor and Employment or Clearance from the National Bureau of Investigation.