13A Visa journey - The Regularization!

One year later (almost) since I started my Probationary 13A Visa. Things have changed in our family situation. On March 10, 2021, our son called Sean Wybe was born; we relocated to Angeles City to a new home, and the Philippines has many quarantine rules that seem to change very frequently. Based on this, we decide to use an agent to help us with filing the 13A in Intramuros!

What is needed:

Even if you have an agent, it is good to go over all details to ensure you will not lose too much time getting all documents. So start with downloading the 'general instruction guide' and print it. Click on?BI FORM V-I-002-Rev 1?to download this form. In my case, I only needed numbers 1 to 6 for my 13A Visa; 7 and 8 were not needed for me, verify what you need to avoid challenges when applying.?

What did I bring to my agent (and what did they do for us):

• Joint letter?(I can send a sample if needed, PM me) that you need to notarize. The document's notarizing can be done just outside the Immigration office (left when exiting it).?We used a notary in Angeles City. In our case, the agent made a new Joint Letter.
• You need the?BI FORM CGAF-001-Rev 2.1?form; click?here?to download it. We had to check 'Conversion,' and 'Personal' (when you do it yourself). You need?two forms, one for your?13A?filing and one for your?ACR-I Card. Our agent provided one and used ours to take over all details and added some details regarding the agency,
• Two 2x2 photos,
• Marriage Certificate?or Marriage Contract (one original PSA and one photocopy),
• Birth Certificate?or certified true copy of BI-issued Identification Certificate as a Filipino citizen of the?Filipino spouse,?and a photocopy,
• Photocopy of passport bio-page?and?latest admission with valid authorized stay.?Also, it would be best if you had a?complete photocopy?of?all pages?of your passport. And just in case of a?photocopy of your wife's?passport bio page. Our agent took my ACR card and Passport, so I didn't need to make a complete copy of the passport.
• Photocopy of all receipts from your probation 13A Visa payments and the originals. Make sure to secure those and don't lose them since you need them,
• Photocopy?of your?ACR-I Card,
• Valid?National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Clearance,?6 MONTHS Valid?from the moment you apply in the BI office. This was the main challenge in my case since we relocated to a new location. Click here to make an online profile and appointment.
• The Affidavit of Joint Cohabitation?is the replacement for the seminar/interview. We had one that we reused from the probation visa. Our agent provided one that we needed to notarize,

NOTE: When you relocate after your Probationary 13A Visa, make sure to get first a Barangay Certificate. This needed to be combined with your NBI for proof of residency.

The process:

Our initial process would be, to make an appointment online with the Immigration Service in Manila Intramuros. We have a baby. We foresee challenges since my wife is not allowed to come with our son. After some calls, we got the recommendation of Amega Travels (see at the bottom the contact details). After we had made an appointment, they provided via message a complete list of documents. Since we had the initiative to do it ourselves, it was relatively easy to present all documents needed. They provided the "The Affidavit of Joint Cohabitation" and the "Joint letter" that we had to notarize, and they gave us a complete "BI FORM CGAF-001-Rev 2.1" that we had to sign.

After paying our duties, hands-off. They will process all documents with a liaison officer in Manila, and if no issues are found, it will be a matter of waiting to receive your Passport and ACR.

As mentioned, we had one roadblock to overcome. We relocated 6 weeks before we started the process and since my ACR card was at our past address in Manila. That gave me extra complications. After going back and forward with redoing several documents, we were able to provide all the needed documents.

NOTE: When you relocate after your Probationary 13A Visa, make sure to get first a Barangay Certificate. This needed to be combined with your NBI for proof of residency.

Next will be the call from our agent to recollect my passport and ACR Card.

Do's and Don'ts:

• Start in time, sounds obvious, make sure to start at least 3 months before your ACR expires.
• If needed, use an agent. Be aware, you pay for them, make sure to let them do the work since you pay for it. They can be gold if you let them do the job for you.
• Follow the rules, don't think you can beat the system.
• If you relocate, make sure to change the address in your ACR card before you start the process (lesson learned). Be aware, officially you need to live 6 months in your Barangay before they will give you a Barangay Residence Certificate.
• Agents are humans; they make mistakes also. Don't be surprised if something might not go as smoothly as you thought.
• Sometimes the Immigration Services see things differently, be patient, and collaborate.

Documents used in both processes:

• Checklist
• BI FORM CGAF-001-Rev 2.1
• Request for BI Clearance Certificate
• Sample John Doe Joint Affidavit Manila
• Blank sample Joint Affidavit Manila

Useful links and the agent we used

• Bureau of Immigration main page, click?here?to enter the page.
• National Bureau of Investigation, click?here?to enter the page.
• VISA application status, https://e-services.immigration.gov.ph/visa-approval. Not sure how often they update it.
• Search for your Visa Status based on your OR and ID number; click?here?to go to the page.

Our agent is a local agent in Angeles City, Pampanga. If you use them, let them you found this article.

Amega Travel and Tours Services with as GM - Mam Aurora M. Agustin and our Supervisor is Caroline Maita N. Nuqui.

Contact details:

• www.facebook.com/amegatravel
• visas@amegatravelandtours.com
• www.amegatravelandtours.com
• +63 456240203, +63 456240217, +63 453210045

Final NOTE:

As mentioned in the first article regarding my 13A, I am not a lawyer or legal advisor. This is my personal journey and the roads I walked. Rules and documents change all the time as well, and each LGU can interpret the legal text in a slightly different way. All that is your responsibility; always ask/talk with your local BI office to see if the rules are changed or if you need additional documents.

Hopefully, this is useful for you, and enjoy the 13A journey!