BI official shares pros, cons of marrying local

CEBU - The easiest way for a foreigner to become a permanent resident in the country is to marry a local, who can also be made dummy of his business.

And if the relationship turns sour, the local spouse can have the foreigner deported and then take full control of the business, being the registered owner, said Alien Control Officer Casimiro Madarang III of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) Cebu.

However, this seldom happens if the couple has children, he said. Going native BI records show that there are more than 5,000 permanent foreign residents in Central Visayas, mostly in Cebu. Their presence has also contributed to the economy of Region 7.

There are two types of permanent residency for foreigners, quota and non-quota, Madarang said.

For the quota, Madarang said that if there are only 50 foreigners who are allowed to apply for permanent residency, BI will stick to the numerical limitation.

The non-quota includes investor’s visa, special visa for employment generation (SVEG), resident visa and the retirees’ visa.

For SVEG, the applicant must be a chief executive officer, or manager, of a foreign corporation in the country with at least 10 personnel and is authorized to hire and fire employees.

The retirees’ visa is issued only with the recommendation of the Philippine Retirement Authority, which processes applications from different countries.