# British Citizen with Filipino Boyfriend (Gay) - How to relocate to the Philippines?



## SpaceLands (Feb 20, 2018)

Hello all. I am hoping for some advice here.

I am a British Citizen (from scotland). I have been dating a filipino guy online for around a year, and am flying out in may to see him again. He is around the same age as me (25) and he has a job and his own apartment in the Philippines.

If my trip goes well again like last time, i aim to visit again for 6 months, and if that goes well, potentially permanently relocate. Therin lies my issue.


I have around £10,000 in savings.

I have a HND in computing. 

I am in good health minus mild acid reflux.

I have prior travel history in my passport, to Malaysia, Singapore, and Nepal.

Now the Philippines gay marriage legislation seems to be pending. So getting married
and getting a partnership visa is currently not yet possible. Bringing him to the UK with the silly requirements is also proving difficult, and i love Asian culture.

Now my dilemma is this. I am aware you can renew tourist visas up to 3 years, provided you don't work. I have savings (and he is more than adamant he wants
to support me via working). 

I have around £100 monthly from UK investments paid into my UK account, more than enough for me and my Filipino partner to split bills
during this time as we have discussed potentially doing, and be fully legal and not work in the phillipines but maintain tourist status, and I have savings for a buffer. My Filipino partner earns about £90 GBP monthly equiv. with his salary (in Pesos). This is not in manila and rents are cheap where he is, he affords it on his own.

Now i am faced with multiple options, and i would love the opinions of those who could advise me on a plan of action.

1. Enter as a tourist, renew tourist visas' for 3 years. At the end of the 3 years, provided my UK investment income is still intact which it should be, simply leave the country for a holiday to the UK and return if such a visa-run is legal. 

It seems to say that the 3 years is started from the 'date of the applicant's last recorded arrival' so it seems legal enough but someone who knows more may be able to correct me. I would not be working there without a permit, but living with my partner during that time. I will have a confirmed flexi return ticket booked which i can set the date forward at my leisure. I would always have a return ticket to present to immigration. Chances are i would visit the UK within those 3 years once a year or so, which would 'restart the clock'.

2. Stay as a tourist for a couple of years, look for work, secure the appropriate work visas/permits, whatever they might be. I have skills in the IT sector and am HND Level 5 qualified. This is where i am having trouble finding out what I am doing.

3. Stay as a tourist, if gay marriage is accepted within my visa length which could be a high probability, apply for the correct partnership visa then. 

4. After some time as a tourist, resume online freelance work as I have done so much here if i can secure a type of visa/permit that can go beyond 3 years to allow me to do this (clients would pay in GBP to my UK account, which would be wired over).

I am unsure if there is any better option to my plans, plan #1 and/or #3 seem better to me so far, and if there is any other options where i can reside there long term with my partner other than options mentioned above and what the process would be for each.

Me and him are extremely close, and I feel a great affinity to him, his culture and I am also learning tagalog. Both of us are of like mind. I am happy to renew tourist visas as my UK investment income into my UK account is more than adequate for me to support myself combined with his income, with savings as a buffer. 

I would do the initial 3 years, but i would worry about not being able to come back for XX time, and living with your partner for so long only to be separated is not a fun experience.

I do not know the process for applying for other types of visas and ive been searching the web for hours on this fact. First of all, I want to ensure i keep things entirely legal and above board.

If anyone has any suggestions as to what would be a good idea/suggestions as to what to do, please let me know!

Salamat!


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## Hey_Joe (Sep 13, 2016)

Wish you well but suggest you have an exit/back up plan. 

From Desiderata: Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; *for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass.
*
Max Ehrmann's "Desiderata"


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## Simon1983 (Jun 6, 2016)

1. The 3 year year rule resets each time you leave the country, so you could stay here many years as long as you leave and return at least once every 3 years.
Bear in mind the whole visa process resets every time you re-enter the country - so you would need a new ACR card each time ($50) on top of the visa fees you would pay every 2 months.

2. There may be options in a BPO type environment. You can check job sites like Monster, Indeed & LinkedIn. Manila, Clark and Cebu would be the main places that might hire foreigners.

4. You'd get a higher hourly rate as a freelancer and you'd be more flexible with hours and travel compared to working for a company but you'd also have other issues to deal with. For one you would need good internet, aircon and probably a nicer apartment.


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## SpaceLands (Feb 20, 2018)

Simon1983 said:


> 1. The 3 year year rule resets each time you leave the country, so you could stay here many years as long as you leave and return at least once every 3 years.
> Bear in mind the whole visa process resets every time you re-enter the country - so you would need a new ACR card each time ($50) on top of the visa fees you would pay every 2 months.
> 
> 2. There may be options in a BPO type environment. You can check job sites like Monster, Indeed & LinkedIn. Manila, Clark and Cebu would be the main places that might hire foreigners.
> ...



Hello. Thank you for your detailed response. As for 4. Is there any particular permit that is required to do freelancing work? I am guessing so as it is work. Good internet where he lives is not a problem, we set up a high end 4G modem on my last trip that he is using currently with failovers and external Hi-Gain antennas attached to the window via suction cups (networking is a speciality of mine) and it works seamlessly failing over between two different 4G providers. 

It gets a 4G signal where many can only get a 3G signal. The antenna is the most crucial part of any radio set up, including mobile modems. The gain and impedance was carefully selected.

His current apartment is nice enough i think to freelance work from home on the internet, but i only wish to do this if it is legal and above board and/or get the required permit.

As for the 3 years resetting, that is good to know. I can sort out the ACR card upon return. I can show immigration proof of return ticket, savings and UK investment income to support myself if need be, if any questions arised on weather i was working without a permit as I do not intend to work without the correct permit.

Their visa laws for tourists seem very liberal, i do not know many other countries that would let you stay that long and simply do a 'visa run' places like singapore and malaysia have been known to bar entry in this circumstance.

So it seems like my option for foreign work + getting the correct permit is a potential option too if i wished to go that route, and/or freelancing if i wanted to supplement the investment income, with which i could just reset every 3 years if i was to live off that. What sort of permit/visa would i need as an online freelancer paid in GBP where it would just be wired over? Anything about Filipino income taxes I need to know?

Thank you very much for your advice.


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## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

I think you need far more money, £1000 per month to live on realistically. You visa fees alone are going to swallow a large part of your £100 per month. If your friend is only making under 7000p a month that's low even for filipino standards. Many do earn less but live of of the land.


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## bigpearl (Jan 24, 2016)

""Hello all. I am hoping for some advice here.

I am a British Citizen (from scotland). I have been dating a filipino guy online for around a year, and am flying out in may to see him again. He is around the same age as me (25) and he has a job and his own apartment in the Philippines.""

Hey SpaceLands, I appears you are caught between a rock and a hard place, been there myself with my better half and overcame the difficulties but at cost and a lot of hard work.
Like you want, we lived together in Manila on a 12 month trial, My partner worked and I kept busy but generally found it pretty boring through the work days. Long story short we went the partnership visa route in Australia/accomplished from the Philippines. All good if you want your partner in your home country with better lifestyle and potentially higher paid employment opportunities once temporary residency is granted.

We are on the move back to PH in about 18 months, I will avail the SRRV (google it) which is costly to some but has many benefits if you can't get a 13a visa, this allows me to work but I am going there to retire.
Perhaps look at the SRRV but at your young age you will need to deposit US 50K plus other fees.

As suggested by others perhaps look at head hunters for employment but if your partner is in one of the provinces then you may have to move to a larger city then he has to regain employment.

I may be wrong and others can chime in here but I believe if you are working in PH. freelance online and your income is derived outside of PH. that may work.

Your combined income of 190 GBP (PHP 13,800.00) will afford a very basic Filipino lifestyle, little or nothing else, not criticising just being a realist with some experience.
This site has all the info you probably need with a little delving, look up "cost of living in the Philippines"
and you will find a plethora of info ranging from US $300 to "the sky is the limit"

As for gay marriage don't hold your breath with that in PH, wheels turn extremely slowly there but hope I am wrong. Finally got through in Oz.

BTW welcome to this forum, we all hope we can help and you find some answers here, good luck.

Cheers, Steve.


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## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

I've not checked but don't you need to be 35+ for a SRRV


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## bigpearl (Jan 24, 2016)

Gary D said:


> I've not checked but don't you need to be 35+ for a SRRV


Well spotted Gary, you are correct, my bad and one less option for SpaceLands.

Cheers, Steve.


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## SpaceLands (Feb 20, 2018)

bigpearl said:


> ""Hello all. I am hoping for some advice here.
> 
> I am a British Citizen (from scotland). I have been dating a filipino guy online for around a year, and am flying out in may to see him again. He is around the same age as me (25) and he has a job and his own apartment in the Philippines.""
> 
> ...



Thanks very much for your advice. The SRRV is something i have looked into, but until I am 35 i can't do much in that respect.

I realise our income would give us a basic lifestyle as i have researched this and am quite good re. budgeting, both of us are very basic, pagan spiritualists who are happy provided we have the basics to live.

Obviously visa fees are costly and add to this, hence why freelance based work to top up my £100 monthly (i can earn about £50 - £100 a week doing this) if i was able to legally do it in GBP to a UK account and wire it across, provided its legal to do so, without using any savings for visa renewals.

Legal wheels always turn slowly, hence why i did not wish to bank on LGBT marriage being allowed but keep it as a potential option if it does.

He is currently around Baguio city, he moved out of his province to escape family manipulation in life circumstances as he didn't want people meddling in his life as they had been trying to do and only keeps those close who support and are kind, rather than meddle/condemn/dig for gold.

I know freelance online is illegal in the UK if you are not on the right visa, some guy i knew of made the mistake to tell immigration he did this and was paid in US dollars, he was put right on the plane back home. Obviously Filipino law is not UK law hence asking others here for advice.

Thank you very much for your advice. I am someone with a sense of adventure, quite careful in what I do, and think things through carefully, hence the trial run (i aim to do two sets of six month trial runs) before giving up my base in the UK.

I am so happy you were both able to settle. Uk visa laws are too difficult as I do not earn enough in the UK to sponsor him, the law was changed in 2014. I considered using the Surinder Singh route to bring him to the UK.

Thanks again for your advice, if anyone else has any more, let me know!


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## Tukaram (Dec 18, 2014)

The 3 year tourist visa is very easy. When you extend for 36 months you just have to leave the country - not go back to your home country. Hong Kong, Malaysia, Thailand... anything nearby. When you come back in you just start a new 36 months.

I know some expats that work here, usually the company helps with your work visa. Not sure how it works if you are already here on a tourist visa. 

A lot of foreigners work online. As long as you are taking money in your home country, and finding work online, you are still a tourist. You cannot take local freelance work without a work visa. 

They had hell trying to get the reproductive health laws passed - the bishops have a LOT of control in congress. I would not count on gay marriage any time soon, here. 

Sounds like your best option is work online, stay on a tourist visa. Or find local work, and have the company help you with a work visa - you would probably make more working online.

Biggest concern in the monthly income. Combined you say 190 pounds? That is like p13,000. Maybe enough for a local, not enough for most Westerners. You might make it, but I sure could not!


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## Simon1983 (Jun 6, 2016)

SpaceLands said:


> Hello. Thank you for your detailed response. As for 4. Is there any particular permit that is required to do freelancing work? I am guessing so as it is work. Good internet where he lives is not a problem, we set up a high end 4G modem on my last trip that he is using currently with failovers and external Hi-Gain antennas attached to the window via suction cups (networking is a speciality of mine) and it works seamlessly failing over between two different 4G providers.
> 
> It gets a 4G signal where many can only get a 3G signal. The antenna is the most crucial part of any radio set up, including mobile modems. The gain and impedance was carefully selected.
> 
> ...


I'm sorry but I don't know the legal position of online freelance work. Some people have said as the income is derived in another country it is not taxable here, others have said you perform the work here so is taxable here.

If you are here more than 6 months you will be resident here. The residency laws in UK are slightly more complex. In the UK you get the first £11K or so tax free so obviously some incentive to try to keep it under UK tax law, whereas if you want to get a work/business permit basically there is a long process to get that:
1. Register the company.
2. Apply for your working visa through the company.

Setting up a company takes many months and there's loads of hoops to go through.
But if you did set up a company you could then apply for a 9G visa, which can last up to 3 years (and I think can be renewed once expired).

The 9G visa is multiple entry and is cheaper than extending a tourist visa for 3 years, but setting up the company would be the hard part. You couldnt own the company so you'd have to get a Filipino to own it (or maybe you can own a percentage, I'm not sure).

Next time you come to Philippines visit some of the BPOs/call centers/tech centers in Clark/Manila. A lot are owned by Aussies or Australians and a few by Brits. You might find one that would hire you, or you might get some business ideas.


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## SimonAngeles (May 10, 2016)

Not trying to discourage you, but have you looked into the visa costs properly?

Yes, you can stay for 3 years before doing a 'visa run' BUT you get a 30 day free visa upon entry, then you pay to extend by 29 days making it a 59 day visa (2200 Peso). You can then extend a further 60 days, for a further 2200 peso by which time you'll need an I-Card for 3000 peso. Then continue the 60 day process and the annual I-Card process until your 3 years are up, by which time you'll need to pay for exit clearance.
It's not a great deal of money, but on your very limited budget it's something I'd be looking into.


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