Last edited Tue Jul 16, 2024, 01:24 AM - Edit history (1)

has a very nice tropical climate (as I prefer). The sun doesn't bother me as all 4 of my grandparents hailed originally from Soutern Italy, so my skin can take it. The cost of living is about one fifth of Boston's. I live like a king on $3,500 USD a month, even though I earn more than that.

My wife's family has deep roots in our city and owns 25 acres. 85% of Filipinos speak English as a second language.

This is the place for me.

....The Philippines seems to have a bunch, although America rarely hears about typhoons around the globe. Too many people seem to think weather ends at the US border, including The Weather Channel.

https://russblib.blogspot.com/?m=1

The big one was a Cat 5 in 2014. Hiyan.

My house is built solid, all masonry, including the dividing walls, where in America, it would be blue board. It held up well with minor damage to that Cat 5 that hit the island as directly as any major storm in 80 years..

We are protected as the far western island with 3 other islands to our East, which is usually the path of the storm. Each protecting island has a huge, high mountain range to its West (our East). Our own island (Panay) has a mountain range to our West, which is also a protective barrier if, in the rare occurrence, the storm comes in the other direction.

I also have a large working generator, that I use now for the occasional brownouts. But it's here for the inevitable Typhoon.

Wow, congratulations on getting your 13a visa! That’s such an exciting milestone. I can imagine how much effort it must have taken, especially with all the paperwork and waiting. I’m currently looking into the process myself, and any advice or tips you could share would be greatly appreciated. What was the hardest part for you, and how long did it take from start to finish? Looking forward to hearing more about your experience!

She's pretty smart and I just followed.

I went to the Iloilo Immigration office to start the process and then went to the NBI (National Bureau of Investigation).

At NBI I had to fill out forms for a background check and give them my fingerprints. They notified me about 4 or 5 weeks later to pick up my clearance papers.

I went back to the Immigration office at Festive Walk in Iloilo to file those papers. The Immigration personnel were very helpful and kindly assisted. The stuff gets sent to Manila and the card was then sent to Iloilo, where I picked up the card.

The first year is a temporary card and the final card comes after one year.

To get the Temporary 13A Visa Card was about a 6-month process, One year later you can receive the permanent residency 13a visa card.