Philippines - Apply for Converting Quota Immigrant Visa

Advertisement

Procedure

Apply In Person

1. To Apply for Converting Pre-Arranged Employee Visa (Commercial), the applicant has to approach the Bureau of Immigration offices link
2. An application form will be provided to the applicant by the concerned officer.
3. The applicant has to fill in all the necessary details in the application form. (Incomplete applications are not accepted)
4. Make sure that the applicant has attached all the necessary documents that are mentioned in the “Required Documents” section of this page.
5. The applicant has to attach the photocopies of the required documents along with the application form while submitting.
6. Submit all the documents with the completed form to the concerned officer.
7. The fee for this procedure is mentioned in the “Fees” section of this page.
8. After receiving the application, the concerned authority will check the submitted application and document set. If all are in place, the application will be accepted.
9. An acknowledgment receipt will be provided. Please save it for future reference.
10. All applications are processed within a reasonable time, having regard to the particular circumstances of each application, including the completeness of information and documents submitted to the authority by the applicant.
11. The authority may seek additional information from an applicant if this is necessary to assess the application. The authority does not need to deal further with an application until the applicant has provided this additional information.
12. Once the process gets completed, the applicant gets a visa through the post.
13. This entire process can be completed within 30 – 45 days or as per the timeline advised by the respective department authority.

Advertisement

Required Documents

• letter request addressed to the Commissioner from the applicant stating that he/she: is in possession of a valid passport (or equivalent document) with a valid visa at the time of filing the application; Completed form CGAF (BI Form CGAF-001-Rev 2)
• Photocopy of passport bio-page and latest admission that indicates valid authorized stay.
• Proof of applicant’s special qualifications such as academic degrees, awards, certificates of recognition, and other documents attesting to the applicant special qualifications, skills or knowledge, or proof of financial capacity or investment
• Valid National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Clearance, if application is filed six (6) months or more from the date of first arrival in the Philippines.
• Bureau of Immigration Clearance Certificate.
• Proof of filiation with the applicant.
• Stamp issued by the Bureau of Quarantine appearing in applicant’s passport or travel document, if required and a certification from a government health institution that the applicant is physically and mentally fit.
• Bureau of Immigration Clearance Certificate.
• Official birth certificate or baptismal certificate
• Police Clearance
• Documentary proofs of his/her former Philippine citizenship and his present foreign citizenship for returning natural-born Filipinos who were naturalized as citizens of foreign countries.

Office Locations & Contacts

DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Address:
2330 Roxas Boulevard,
Pasay City, Philippines
Telephone: (632) 8 834-4000, (632) 8 834-3000
Contact details link
Embassies and consulates link

Note: The applicant has to select the country from the drop-down menu.

BUREAU OF IMMIGRATION
Main Office
Magallanes Dr, Intramuros,
Manila, 1002 Metro Manila, Philippines
Tel (011-63-2)8524-3769.
Fax No. (632) 338-4538
Website link

CEBU
BI Regional Office
P Burgos Street, Tribunal, Mandaue City, Cebue.
Tel (011-63-32)345-6442/6443/6444.

DAVAO
BI Regional Office – Davao. BI Building, JP Laurel Ave., Bajada, Davao City,
Tel (011-63-82)300-7258.
Contact details link
Bureau of Immigration Other Offices link

Eligibility

Any visa holder who intends to Apply for Converting Quota Immigrant Visa is eligible to make this application.

Fees

• The fee for this procedure has to be paid as per the authority’s request. Fee may vary for countries and it will be determined by the visa officers.

Validity

Explain the time until which the certificate/document is valid.
e.g. Birth Certificate Valid Forever

Documents to Use

Please attach documents that can be used by people. e.g. links

Sample Documents

Please attach sample completed documents that would help other people.

Processing Time

• This entire process can be completed within 30 days or as per the timeline advised by the respective department authority.

Related Videos

Videos explaining the procedure or to fill the applications.
Attach videos using the following tag <&video type='website'>video ID|width|height<&/video&> from external websites.
Please remove the '&' inside the tags during implementation.
Website = allocine, blip, dailymotion, facebook, gametrailers, googlevideo, html5, metacafe, myspace, revver,
sevenload, viddler, vimeo, youku, youtube
width = 560, height = 340, Video ID = Can be obtained from the URL of webpage where the video is displayed.
e.g In the following url 'http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0US7oR_t3M' Video ID is 'Y0US7oR_t3M'.

Instructions

• Applicants must complete the application form before submitting it. Incomplete applications will not be accepted.
• Applicants must provide genuine information while applying for this procedure.
• Applying for a Philippine visa will require that the applicant’s passport be valid for six (6) months beyond the applicant’s date of departure from the Philippines.
• The Philippine Embassies/Consulates will only accept electronic passports and machine-readable passports for visa applications.
• Non-machine-readable passports or hand-scripted passports will not be accepted for visa applications. The Visa Officer has the right to ask for any additional documents that may be deemed necessary.

Required Information

• Name
• Address
• Date of birth
• Place of birth
• Gender
• Civil status
• Citizenship
• Marital status
• Telephone/mobile number
• Signature
• Detail of parents

Need for the Document

• The Bureau of Immigration grants quota immigrant visas to applicants who are nationals or citizens of a country that has diplomatic relations with the Philippines and grants the same immigration privileges to Filipinos under the principle of reciprocity.

Information which might help

• It is also available to applicants with special qualifications such as a high educational attainment, technical knowledge, special experience, or exceptional ability in the sciences, arts, professions or business which will contribute to the Philippine economy or be of national interest.
• The applicant may also own sustainable investments approved by the Commissioner of the Bureau of Immigration. The quota immigrant visa shall be granted to the principal’s dependents, including spouses or minor children who become lawful permanent residents of the Philippines.
• The quota immigrant visa is issued to fifty (50) applicants of any one nationality per year.

Other uses of the Document/Certificate

Benefits of Quota Immigrant Visa

• Lifetime residence with minimal reporting means the holder practically becomes an Immigrant as he is granted not only a lifetime stay in the Philippines, but also a lifetime work entitlement. The holder obtains an 5-year validity ACR Card (it is then simply renewed). The holder also must pay for an annual report every year, however there are no other reporting requirements at all each time the holder leave the country (unlike other visas).
• The quota immigrant visa holder has the right to do business (in the sectors permitted under the laws of the Philippines) without needing to obtain an Alien Employment Permit (AEP).
• Upon exiting the country, the quota visa holder is automatically granted a re-entry permit. Unlike with other visas, no exit clearance or the associated fees are required no matter how long the holder has been in the Philippines.

External Links

Place some external links which might help.

Others

Please note that the visa issued is not a guarantee that the holder will be automatically admitted to the country. The admission of foreign nationals into the Philippines is a function of the immigration authorities at the Post of entry. Philippine immigration authorities will not allow entry into Philippine airports and seaports the following foreign nationals:

• Those holding non-machine-readable passports (e.g. hand scripted passports); or
• Those previously deported from the Philippines or included in the “blacklist order” of the Department of Foreign Affairs or Bureau of Immigration; or
• Those with incomplete documentation; or
• Those with circumstances that would render them inadmissible for entry, even with a valid passport and visa issued by a Philippine Consulate.