Advice on criminal convictions and visas

[Lee2]

    If u apply for balkibayan visa is there no criminal check when doing this?
Thank u everyone for your help and advice it is much appreciated.       

I am only guessing, as we all have to do, since I believe none of us had been in your situation but I suspect the BI use the Interpol check no matter what process a person enters on. From what I have seen, it is automatic when they run your passport into their machine, so while I feel/guess they might be more lenient towards one of us married to one of their citizens, it will depend on if the information comes up or not when they enter your passport and what that information says and that will depend on what your government did or did not do about entering it.

I guess it should go without saying but I will write it anyway, make sure any clothing you wear or suitcases you bring have never had any MJ in them and are freshly washed if they were even close to where it was grown or processed, as the Philippines also uses dogs nowadays at the airports. 

You are welcome and I wish you the best of luck. I wish we had better answers for you but as I wrote above, it is impossible for us to know exactly what will happen.

[iamjames]

The new application for extension of Tourist Visa does not ask about prior convictions, so if you can get in on the 30 day Visa free, you should be ok.  You stated you had a suspended sentence, so I presume that would be ended by the time you leave the UK.

http://www.immigration.gov.ph/images/FORMS/TouristVisaSection/TVS-CGAF-VE-2016.pdf


Chuck

Exactly -  but there is an interpol background check at some stage so that is where the problem could be. Not sure though if your conviction would be on the interpol database - so try that check

[hitekcountry]

You could "come clean" before you attempt a visit.

You've paid your "debt to society" the court ordered ..... right?  Then you should be in good standing with the powers that be.

Visit the Philippine consulate.  Bring your concerns forward to the consular officer.  They may assist you.  They may not.  In the long run that would be better than trying keep your conviction quiet.

Let's just say your successful in using the short time visa rules for a few years.  After your settled and life has started here you get pulled over for any little offense.  That conviction would come out, and the fact that you did not highlight it on entry would be evident. 

And probably incriminating.


Hope this helps.

Or you could go the nearest Philippine Consulate there in the UK and apply for an extended Visa and If the issue comes up either by them asking or by their normal processing you will know that before you step onto Philippine soil and you can deal with that at that time. The worst that can happen to you in that situation is you’re denied the Visa.  If they don’t ask and their normal processing doesn’t raise the issue, then they'll probably just issue you the extended Visa and you’re good to go.

My first trip to the Philippines I first went to the Philippine Consulate in San Francisco and applied for an extended Visa and I received a 59 day Visa no trouble at all. If they asked about any criminal record or not, I don't remember.

[Art, just a re(tired) Fil-Am]

I also recall when applying for visa extensions, that a derogatory statement from the BI is provided when the visa request has been processed.

[WarnerTug]

If you need help with names, just ask

Are you talking about moi = pacific threadfin kinda thing?