I recommend internet-dating to everybody. As a man however, you should be careful as there are a lot of fakes and scum on the net.
There is no reason, why you should try to find a local woman however, while outside in this world you will find many better ones.

Don't care, what they are talking around you and go ahead as follows:

1- It is the man, who decides, how and where to look for his girl from Asia or from any other place in this world - and this is nobody's else business.
2- It is the man, who is searching around the internet and due to far distance, you have to collect informations and contacts by surfing through various sites first, and this is not the business of some radical feminists and racists to prevent you to collect contact informations.
3- It is the man, who has to get on the plane first - and check personally, what is going on at the other end of that internet-contact.....this is THE MOST IMPORTANT POINT to be successful to find a foreign woman for marriage! -!
4- It is the man, who has to study the language, the culture and all about the social background of the girl - Do not expect your girl to study about you!
5- It is the man, who has to introduce your girl to your local life and to support her to improve her knowledge, so that she does not feel to depend solely on your mood.
6- It is the man, who has to be prepared to exercise an extraordinary amount of TOLERANCE towards his girl from abroad in case of any quarrel.

If you do so, the chance of a successful marriage with a foreign girl is much higher than with a local overweight arrogant demanding white feminist next door.

I am married since 27 years....

Johann

... in response to Internet dating is OK!, posted by Johann on Jan 17, 2004

Johann,

   With decades of living experience as an expat in Asia,you obviously have a trove of information to draw on.As you state, you speak english as a second language and most people are not familiar with the way you
organize or present information( In an Austrian/Germanic style ) so of course some people who are not familiar with it think you are being pushy or arrogant, when in fact it is just your style. There is talking the talk and then there is walking the walk, and a person who has been an expat for decades, raised a family overseas, and has generally lived between two worlds for much of his life, has a far different perspective than someone who spends a few weeks or a few months total vacation time overseas.
I have stood in some of the very spots your photos show on your homepage, including the town of Mae Sai in Thailand where my brother has lived for years. I am married to a filipina and we have a 3 year old daughter. We will be moving back to the Philippines in the not too distant future, and I would love to buy you a beer if our path should ever cross. You can mail me at the email listed with my profile. The wedding photos were great...you should be very proud.

  Nathan

... in response to Philippines/Moving into Asia - Great!, posted by Johann on Jan 18, 2004

In the PHILIPPINES??? Certainly you are talking about a different PHILIPPINES than the one I live in!!

Secondly, a foriegner cannot OWN property here, except under very rare circumstances.

A foriegner here with a long term LEASE on land has many more rights than one who thinks he OWNS anything here.

Larry In Dumaguete.

... in response to Resident status easy to get?, posted by shadow on Jan 18, 2004

Good evening,
Hallo, Larry,
I am an unlimited Japanese permanent resident holding Austrian (European community) nationality. Do not ask me how long it takes and what are the formalities to get this permission.

Compared to any ASIAN country I know, Philippines indeed has simple regulations to let a foreigner stay there for life-time including the wife and child
Take the retirement visa:

Minimum age: 35
Deposit: usd 75000,-
Fees: not over usd 2500,-
This makes you a permanent visa including multiple re-entry permit. Unlike other countries in Asia this deposit might be used for buying a condominium unit. It can be also used to buy a house on property shared land. A place like Dumaguete however, where you are living, will not have such a kind of construction of housing, which might fit the law to be sold to the foreigner (however such housings are existing in nearby Cebu)

I do not know any other country in Asia, which makes it so easy.

To get the same conditions for Australia, you need to invest up to usd 500.000,- and your minimum age is 55 years for a 4-years limited residence permit.

Housing is cheap in Philippines, and a condominium in Cebu fitting the law to be sold to foreigners is about usd 40.000,- (around 2 million pesos) for 80 sqm.

It will cost you here in Japan easily 10 times more, and if you do not hold the unlimited permanent resident permit (as I do) then you cannot buy anything here in Japan (you will depend on extreme expensive rent)

My 1-year residence retirement permit (every 3 month re-registration of the address) for Thailand will require 50 years as minimum age, and a deposit of usd 150000,- total for me and my Japanese wife (2 separate visa-permits as we have different nationality), despite I am owning a new built 75 sqm condo-unit in Jomtien Beach as 100 percent foreign ownership in my name, and despite I have regular savings in a bank in Thailand.

In Malaysia you cannot so easily buy even a condominium, if it is too cheap (should be over usd 80.000,-) - even if you hold a 5-year permit and you made the required deposits.

Indonesia never made good conditions for long term stay, and you must be financially very good off to meet the requirement.

I do not know your age, financial status....

I can say it only by considering the situation here in Japan together with my wife. We both are 52 years old. We do meet easily the requirements for Philippines or Thailand or Malaysia, but not for Australia/NewZealand or Indonesia.

I compare Japan with Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines and Australia/NewZealand. Out of that Philippines is offering the best conditions FOR MY WIFE AND ME to settle down.
We decided for other reasons however for Thailand.

I am sure, you see it different, as your position and our position is not the same.

Johann

... in response to Re: Re: Resident status easy to get?, posted by shadow on Jan 18, 2004

Good evening, Larry, and thank you very very much for your really informative posting. It is also a good warning for everybody, to be prepared, about what you can expect by immigration officers, when living in the Philippines.

Yes, you are absolutely right, my situation here in Tokyo, Japan cannot be compared to your situation as an US-citizen with Filipina-wife and living outside the big cities in Dumaguete in Negros.

Philippine government totally failed for many years, or better decades, to work out a clear regulation for status of residence, if a foreigner marries a Philippine citizen and decides to live in Philippines.

59 days, if you are married, but living there outside of Manila and Cebu is a hoax. This means, always on the visa-run. Transportation between the islands was never easy and a time waste. Hotel accommotation is not cheap.(I compare this always with Thailand, which is my favorite place)- Immigration officers in Philippines are doing or not doing, just what they like.

(I have my own experience at Manila airport, for departure, when the immigration told me, my visa was nearly overstayed. What is a nearly overstay?  Valid or expired? Never heard of a visa which is a nearly overstay. I had 21 days visa-free and I had no visa anyway, and I spent 19 days in Manila. --- It means, it is soon Christmas, and do you not have anything for my children.....and school is so expensive..and we have no money ...please Sir....
What immigration is this? All is corrupt there, from up to down and from right to left.... everywhere, everybody)

The main problem is, there is no solution in future - I never heard, they intend any revision of all these immigration laws.....it is more than overdue.

(In your case, just for your information, if you have a Japanese wife: Japanese immigration will give you at the beginning 3 months, then next time 6 months, then 1 year, 1 year again, and then 3 years...(you understand, many divorces....spouse visa) - but time is passing by, and permitted period is getting longer and longer....foreigner registration also will be extended from 3 to 7 years -  re-entry will be extended from single re-entry to multiple re-entry of 3 years and so on - Japanese law is quite reasonable and they just need to copy it for the Philippines)

I feel really sorry for you, but I am afraid, in your situation you cannot expect any improvement for the future. Or are you more optimistic?

-----
Japanese relations to the Philippine retirement visa are satisfactory:
1- distance is easy, 3 hours by plane from Tokyo to Cebu, maybe 350 usd for return ticket....even ok for a 1 night trip, just for short visit.
2- 75000 usd for a couple is not that problem here in Japan, and 35 years minimum age is really nice....
anyway this money is quickly used for condominum and you have the visas for lifetime.
3- usually Japanese people bring the older people there, for elderly care, as it is very expensive in Japan, so prefer to buy a condominium, with small swimmingpool, not far from city, near a supermarket,near a hospital, and employment of a maid to take care, maybe near a golf course....
4- However Japanese people are not so interested in the Philippines, usually we bring our old people, and not so many marriages between the Japanese man and the Filipina.
5- So we consider usd 75000,- acceptable, as we are NOT married to a Filipina usually, and we have NO personal relationship to Philippines, so what counts is really only the money.

------
Once again, thank you very much for your informations!
Good luck...maybe they change something in the next 50 years there....
But not sure - I can only pray for your luck at the Shinto Shrine behind our house! (as I do not belong to the Christian church)

Johann

... in response to Your plane is very fast!!, posted by shadow on Jan 19, 2004

Larry,

Has there been a recent change in the Balikbayan requirements? I remember reading a while back that the requirement was that the Filipino citizen must have been out of the country for at least a year. If it has been changed to 6 months, then I guess you could call that an improvement of sorts, but not really helpful in your case.

I have been checking on the Web and can’t find any Balikbayan references to a 6-month requirement. All the references I found still state that to qualify as a Balikbayan, a Filipino citizen had to either be out of the country continuously for at least one year, be an OCW, or be a naturalized former Filipino citizen. Spouses and children traveling with them were also eligible for the one year visa free entry.

It also indicated that the one-year balikbayan stay could be extended without leaving the country, for a fee, but it didn’t say what that fee was.

Do you remember Jim (the3js), maybe now (the4js)? I remember he said he had a permanent resident visa for the PI but I have no idea what he went through to get it. I think he may be in Angeles now.

I’m still considering retirement over there also. Thanks…

Ray

... in response to Your plane is very fast!!, posted by shadow on Jan 19, 2004

I would like to retire in the PI.  From what I read in these last posts it looks like the Philippine Gvt don't want foreigners.  They want women to leave go to American and European countries and send back money.   I was under the immpression that once married there would be a way for me go stay without a visa problem.  I am very confused about this subject, Daytona Beach is looking better all the time.
Lovin the living [while waiting]
Later Peter Lee

... in response to Resident status easy to get? / No soluti..., posted by Johann on Jan 19, 2004


  If you are not too far from an IC office, such as in Cagayan De Oro, which has one locally( It is right off of Corales ave, close to the water district office )I find it pretty easy to sty 6 months in the Philippines, at which point it is more of a hassle. A quick trip to Taiwan for a few days will allow you to start the process over. Some people have stayed a long time on that basis....kind of a hassle and expense, but not impossible.
  You are right, most Japanese do not much like the Philippines, and the few that visit seem totally unaware as to why they might not be liked there especially by the older people( Though some do come for diving etc ).
Mass murder(The death of one million filipinos), rape, and torture of many hundreds of thousands of filipinos, including the organization of rape camps where many tens of thousands of young filipinas were raped to death, well, all of this tended to sour the filipino on the Japanese experience in the past. However, filipinos are still smart enough to drive Toyotas for example...

Nathan