Hi, I am new to this website and would like some help. My fiance is moving to the Philipines to study medecine and I want to follow him. What are the procedure for my visa and how long can I stay there?
The school is in Valenzuela city in metro manila. We are looking to rent a flat or condo but couldnt find any website or agent on the internet, any advice?
How is the life in Philipines for an expat?
Thank you

Florana,

First off personally I think life for an expat is fantastic. Although you might find it a little lonely in Valenzuela as not many expats live there.

If you are going to live in Valenzuela I would suggest that you wait until you get here to find an appartment as you will not find many estate agents having listings for there. It will be a case of spending a few days walking around the area firstly to find an area you like and then secondly to find houses for rent.

I would suggest however as an expat if your fiance does not find travelling to school you look for somewhere a little more central (Ortigas or Quezon City) as they will have more facilities and a better choice of expat groceries etc that make life that little bit better.

Will you fiance have his own transport, if so you may want to look at living north of Valenzuela in some where like San Fernando, this is linked to Valenzuela by a pretty decent highway.

As for visa's you could apply for a quota visa which will give you permanent residency but that can be quite costly.

PM me for other visa ideas or if you have any questions.

Hi manilaguy

Thank you for your reply, I posted the thread over a month ago and thought no one will ever reply, so thank you.

I have done some research and yes Valenzuela is very small and not many expats live over there. Do you know how far is San Fernando to Valenzuela (driving distance)?

My fiance is canadian and he was wondering how can he get a driving licence over there?Can he use his canadian one?

ps:couldnt PM you as the administrator limit the access to people with more than 3 threads.

I think that San Fernando would be 30 to 45 mins driving depending on the time of day and traffic etc (traffic conditions can vary quite significantly with out rhyme or reason).

As for a driving license I believe that foreigners can drive for 3 months on their overseas licensees. I think it is fairly easy to get a local license (I am not a driver so let me double check this answer and get back to you).

Hiya, a bit late to reply but my g/f is at fatima uni, she has told me there are some 3 bed condo units for rent unfurnished opposite the uni for 6000 peso per month . isabella condominium