one year

[mr jon]

hi there.how do i find out about living in the philippines for a year, i would have my yearly pension to live on and pay my way while living with mygirlfriend. i know i would want to stay a lot longer so i might really mean moveing over for good. i really look foward to any advise from others that have been there and done that thanks

[eagles]

welcome to the forum Jon.. Philippines is an interesting place to live.. I am living in davao and my boyfriend (who is at the UK at the moment) find the country excellent place for retirement..

[Mrs.JMajor]

Just for a year ? Its fine, but not ideal when you're old already, as I saw the way UK govt pay attention to oldies here, try it you'll like it there in PI ("for a while")

Welcome in the forum

[eagles]

well its up for you jon to decide- taking into consideration the amount of money spent for daily living and the health care you can get when you are in pinas... think carefully and weight all the options

[Mrs.JMajor]

health care you can get when you are in pinas... think carefully and weight all the options

Health Care ??? in pinas ? which one ? The Phil health

[Mrs Daddy]

welcome here johnglad you like to stay there for good

[Mrs.JMajor]

welcome here johnglad you like to stay there for good

Not for a good Wheela just for a year

how do i find out about living in the philippines for a year,

[telford]

hi there.how do i find out about living in the philippines for a year, i would have my yearly pension to live on and pay my way while living with mygirlfriend. i know i would want to stay a lot longer so i might really mean moveing over for good. i really look foward to any advise from others that have been there and done that thanks

moving to phils for good is a good idea. we been staying there for 2 yrs and going back here is a big mistake. yeah the health care here is free but NHS is crap. for me, philippine still the best. a lots of filipino people didnt see how lucky they are.

but just see how it goes, at the end of the day, ur decisions matter the most. good luck mate and enjoy ur stay there while u can. i envy u

[mr jon]

hi mrs.j.major,i might have worded that wrong, when i come over to see my girl i would want to stay ,i was not sure if the system lets you in with a one way ticket,and after a year while there you are able to seek a permanent residency

[mr jon]

thanks for that ,,lots and lots of things to sor but it is worth it

[mr jon]

hi there .i have stayed i think for a total of 7 weeks in 2 years,i found it a total change in a good way.with the right girl which i have found .i felt at home and happy by for now

[Tawi2]

I wouldnt say the NHS is crap,I actually know a lady who about 8 or 9 years ago brought her father over on a tourist visa because he needed heart surgery and the cost would have been prohibitive in Pinas,NHS tourism

[Arthur Little]

yeah the health care here is free but NHS is crap.

I must stop you there. The British NHS may not be perfect, but it's still the BEST to be found ANYWHERE and is envied the world over. I said as much before in response to a thread entitled 'What Would You Introduce To The Philippines?'.

Sure, it is not without its flaws. But more than six decades on, its introduction remains at the forefront of this nation's greatest-ever achievements. And I, for one, have reason to be thankful for its continuing existence.

[Tawi2]

Got to endorse your comments Arthur,as I am sure peniless people in the slums of Delhi or the squatters areas of Tondo in need of medical care would also agree,we are lucky to have it,if your skint in pinas with a life threatening illness what do they do?Advertise for donations on TV and in the press,we really are lucky to have the NHS,but you never know just how lucky till the day your in need of it

[Tawi2]

The Philippines is a cool place to live IF you have money I have watched pinoys mouths fall open with awe when they hear of the welfare system here,the social housing,the free healthcare,even a free car on invalidity :eek:I lived in Pinas before,like I say its good if your wedged up(With a little extra because your womans family or extended relatives will all come with their problems,you cant turn them away,utang na loob is one way traffic)

[David House]

The NHS is wonderful! Having spent the winter months in the Philippines I am now back in the UK. Whilst in PI we helped our young niece who has terminal cancer so can testify from first hand experience. The care was fine, but very expensive. This has to be considered when making a decision on whether to live there permanently. If you already know you need regular medical help then the NHS is a hard thing to leave behind. (Along with the BBC, cricket, good beer and the English summer).
Visiting the Philippines for a year is going to be possible but without a Filipina wife you will not get a Balikbayan visa on entry. You will only get 21 days, although I think you can get 59 by pre-arrangement. After that you will have to extend every few weeks which is a nuisance and costs. Travel agents will do it for you, at a small additional cost. If you decide to marry then getting a year will be automatic, but you still need to go out and re-enter. Special retirement visas are available but are complicated and require the deposit of funds. You will not be allowed in without a return ticket but don't worry too much about that. We travel via Hong Kong and book the leg into the Philippines on Cebu Pacific with whom we book a return flight for around the time we plan to return and then alter as needed. The cost of change is minimal. We do the same with the flights into HK.

[Arthur Little]

we really are lucky to have the NHS,but you never know just how lucky till the day your in need of it

Absolutely!

[Arthur Little]

The NHS is wonderful! Having spent the winter months in the Philippines I am now back in the UK. Whilst in PI we helped our young niece who has terminal cancer so can testify from first hand experience. The care was fine, but very expensive. minimal.

Thanks for sharing this experience with us, David. Our thoughts and prayers are with your young niece and her family. God Bless.

[Tawi2]

There was a case a few years ago arthur,english guy went on holiday to pinas with his wife,didnt buy insurance,was hospitalised after some form of accident,Hospital wouldnt let him leave till the hefty bill was paid,it was on TV here,the guys family had to take out a bank loan and send the cash over Firend of mine,ex-para,went to South Africa on holiday,knocked over,hit-and-run,pelvis shattered etc,hospitalised for months,luckily he had the foresight to take out insurance as his bill came to £36,000 My brother rolled his car here in the UK,total right off,his cheekbones were smashed,he had to have facial reconstruction(its cool,he didnt exactly look like Brad Pitt before the accident)on the NHS,it cost him nowt As I said,when you need it thats when you realise how lucky you are Thats why thousands of people risk their lives getting smuggled INTO the UK every year,because of our system,fair enough its flawed,but its a damned sight better than nowt.

[Arthur Little]

I have watched pinoys mouths fall open with awe when they hear of the welfare system here,the social housing,the free healthcare,even a free car on invalidity

Spot on!

[Tawi2]

They especially liked the idea of getting money for every child you have,one guy I told about child benefit already had 9,I think if he was getting paid to produce kids he would have managed a few more at least

[thejarvs]

hi there.how do i find out about living in the philippines for a year, i would have my yearly pension to live on and pay my way while living with mygirlfriend. i know i would want to stay a lot longer so i might really mean moveing over for good. i really look foward to any advise from others that have been there and done that thanks

Have a search of the forums as there are posts about extended stays.

Here are a few links that might be useful:
http://www.philembassy-uk.org/
http://immigration.gov.ph/

[pennybarry]

My brod in-law is living in Pinas for a year now. He applied one year visa at Philippine embassy in London. He doesn't want to comeback in UK so he is planning to leave Pinas for Hongkong tour and back again to Pinas for visa extension.

[Arthur Little]

well its up for you jon to decide- taking into consideration the amount of money spent for daily living and the health care you can get when you are in pinas... think carefully and weight all the options

Good advice, Jon! ... bearing in mind what you'd be leaving behind if you were to decide in favour of residing permanently in the Phils.

Welcome to the Forum.