Studying abroad is becoming more and more popular with each passing year. Studies show that more than two hundred thousand students from the United States study abroad every year.

How to get a Student Visa in the Philippines

Friday, October 9, 2009

I just discovered it. My niece who's living in the US wanted to get her nursing degree here so I inquired. Anyone abroad who wants to study here and is planning to get a student visa, here's what to do :

Contact the Philippine university or college online and ask for a certificate showing their approval to take you in as student. Bring that certificate, and other papers as per Philippine Embassy requirement, to the Philippine Embassy there, and you get the visa.

You may get the visa here, but then you will have to go back to the US again (if you're a US citizen) to appear personally in the Philippine embassy. Foreign students can go here visa-free for 20 days, just enough to secure a student visa. I think it can be extended.

For more details, just contact the foreign affairs department online.


Here's the link to the foreign affairs department in Manila:
STUDENT VISA


Who is a foreign student?
To be qualified, Manila Visa explains that the applicant must be a bonafide foreign student who is at least eighteen (18) years of age at the time of enrolment, and whose main intention is to take up a course in a university or college authorized to admit foreign students (these CHED-accredited schools are referred to as Higher Educational Institutions or HEIs). The applicant must likewise possess the ability to financially support his studies in the country.

Under the law, the 9(F) student visa applicant must communicate directly with the HEI of choice and submit the following requirements:

Five (5) copies of accomplished and duly signed Personal History Statements (PHS), with 2×2 pictures.
Scholastic records duly authenticated by the Philippine embassy/consulate located in the student’s country of origin.

Notarized affidavit of support including bank statements to cover all expenses of the student.
Photocopy of data page of student’s passport showing date and place of birth.
Birth certificate or its equivalent duly authenticated by the Philippine embassy/consulate located in the student’s country of origin.

An applicant desiring to study medicine or dentistry must submit the above documents to the CHED-Office of the Student Services (OSS) for evaluation, who will then issue the Certificate of Eligibility for Admission (CEA), and forward it to the HEI.

For those desiring to enroll in a dental course, the following supporting documents are required:
a.Scholastic records signed by the registrar and stamped with the school seal
b.Birth certificate/passport
c.Notice of Acceptance from the admitting school with quota number
For those desiring to pursue a medical course, the following supporting documents are required:
a.Transcript of Records authenticated by the registrar and stamped with the school seal
b.Birth Certificate or passport
c.Notice of acceptance from the admitting school with quota number
d.Diploma or Certificate of Graduation from a collegiate course
If the HEI or university is satisfied with the requirements submitted by the applicant, it shall issue a “Notice of Acceptance” or NOA in favor of the applicant and shall likewise send a corresponding copy to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), together with the CEA, in the case of a medical or dental student.
Upon receipt of the NOA, the DFA will then indorse it to the Foreign Service Post (FSP) of the student’s country of origin, afterwhich a corresponding Student Visa shall be issued.
As a general rule, the applicant must be outside the Philippines when he submits the requirements. However, if the applicant is already in the Philippines by virtue of any other visa category, he may apply for the conversion of his visa status to a 9(f) student visa by filing the following documents:
Original NOA
Proof of adequate financial support
Scholastic records authenticated by the Philippine embassy/consulate in student’s country of origin
National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) clearance
Quarantine Medical Examination
PHS with 2×2 photo
Photocopy of data page of student’s passport showing date and place of birth
Initially, the applicant will be given a period of one year authorized stay in the Philippines, which is renewable/extendible every semester. However, the applicant’s authorized period of stay in the country will be based on the length of the course which he/she enrolled in.
Exempted aliens
The spouse and the unmarried, dependent children below 21 years of age of the following visa holders need not secure a student visa:
a.Permanent foreign residents
b.Aliens with valid working permits
c.Personnel of foreign diplomatic and consular missions
d.Personnel of duly accredited international organizations residing in the Philippines
e.Holders of Special Investor’s Resident Visa
f.Holders of Special Retiree’s Resident Visa







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