Tag Archives: Visa

FILIPINOS BETTER OFF THAN U.S. CITIZENS COME 2016 OLYMPICS IN RIO DE JANEIRO

September 8, 2015 Pol Pinoy 1 Comment

Capture RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (The Adobo Chronicles® ) – Philippine citizens may have a hard time visiting the United States on business or tourism, but the Filipinos are better off than U.S. citizens when it comes to the 2016 Summer Olympics to be held next year in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Philippine citizens need a visa to enter the United States and thousands are denied their visa applications year after year. This, despite the fact that U.S. citizens do not need a Philippine visa when traveling to the island nation as long as they do not stay beyond 30 days.

But when it comes to Brazil, Filipinos have an advantage over U.S. citizens. Philippine citizens do not need a visa to enter Brazil, but U.S. citizens do.

So when it comes to the 2016 Summer Olympics, Filipinos will have the last laugh, while U.S. citizens will be scratching their heads trying to complete and submit the strict visa application requirements.

Oh, did we already mention the visa processing fee of $160?

Last June, Brazil’s tourism minister said that the country may lift its visa requirements so that Americans can come to see the 2016 Rio Olympics, but nothing has yet been made official.

International, Travel

AMERICANS VISITING THE PHILIPPINES NOW REQUIRED TO SECURE ENTRY VISAS

June 6, 2015 Pol Pinoy 5 Comments

MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles ) – The government of the Philippines, following in the footseteps of American Samoa, is now requiring U.S. citizens visiting the country to obtain an entry visa.

Previously, Americans were allowed to visit the Philippines for tourism or business for 30 days without the need for an entry visa. But the Philippine government is fed up with the inequality and lack of reciprocity between the U.S. and the Philippines in as far as travel is concerned.

The Philippines, despite being a former American colony, is not included in the list of participating countries under the U.S. Visa Waiver Program (VWP). Filipinos wanting to visit the U.S. for business or pleasure need to obtain a visa which is very hard to come by.

VWP is a program of the United States Government which allows citizens of specific countries to travel to the United States for tourism, business, or while in transit for up to 90 days without having to obtain a visa. The program applies to the 50 U.S. states as well as the U.S. territories of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands in the Caribbean, with limited application to other U.S. territories.

“An eye for an eye, a tooth for tooth,” President NoyNoy Aquino said as he signed an executive order revising the Philippines’ immigration policy as it relates to U.S. citizens.

The visa requirement for U.S. citizens visiting the country will be revoked as soon as the U.S. adds the Philippines to the list of countries under the VWP, Aquino said.

The visa requirement does not apply to U.S. military personnel assigned to the Philippines in connection with the Enhanced Defense Cooperative Agreement (EDCA) which gives the U.S. access to Philippine military bases and deploys military personnel to train Filipino soliders to be better equipped and prepared for combat against insurgents and aggressors.

Government, International, Law Enforcement, Travel

IN U.S., FOREIGNERS NEED ENTRY PERMIT; IN THE PHILIPPINES, FOREIGNERS NEED PERMIT TO LEAVE

April 5, 2015 Pol Pinoy Leave a comment

MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles) – Filipinos wanting to visit the United States face an enormous challenge in securing an entry visa, especially for the purpose of tourism. Many go through the doors of the U.S. Embassy in Manila in the hopes of getting their passports stamped for travel to America, but very few leave with the tourist visa they try so hard to secure.

(The Philippines is not among the countries exempted from obtaining a tourist or business visa under the US Visa Waiver Program.)

In response to the illusive U.S. visa for Filipinos, the Philippines’ Bureau of Immigration (BOI) has found a way to return the favor.

Foreigners visiting the Philippines, especially Americans, must obtain permission to leave. The little-known immigration policy requires foreigners to apply for, and secure an ‘exit visa’ before they can head to the airport to board a plane back to their home country.

“You are free to come, but you can’t leave without our permission,” a spokesman for the BOI said of foreigners intending to visit the island nation.

“An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth,” so the saying goes.

Here’s a reminder from BOI about the unique policy.