Philippines: Whether a stateless Palestinian man who is the husband of a Philippine woman is eligible to immigrate to the Philippines; if so, the requirements to be met in order to become a permanent resident and whether it would be possible for him to reside in the Philippines while being processed
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 March 1999 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | PHL31359.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Philippines: Whether a stateless Palestinian man who is the husband of a Philippine woman is eligible to immigrate to the Philippines; if so, the requirements to be met in order to become a permanent resident and whether it would be possible for him to reside in the Philippines while being processed, 1 March 1999, PHL31359.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6abb314.html [accessed 22 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
In a telephone interview with the Research Directorate, a consular official at the Embassy of the Republic of the Philippines stated that the foreign husband of a Philippine woman would be entitled to residency in the Philippines as a "nonquota immigrant" in accordance with section 13 of the Migration Act and could subsequently become a naturalized citizen after fulfilling the requirements of the Revised Naturalization Law (both Acts available in REFWORLD). The official stated that stateless persons were treated differently under Philippine law but was unable to provide specific details (15 Mar. 1999).
In January 1996 it was reported that a number of countries, including "Palestine," had been classified as "high-risk" by the Philippine Immigration Commissioner, with the result that visitors from those countries were limited to thirty day tourist visas, with extensions to be granted at the discretion of the Commissioner (Manila Standard 5 Jan 1996; AFP 8 Jan. 1996). The same reports listed North Korea and Afghanistan as "restricted" countries, with the result that all applications from those countries required approval from the Foreign Affairs Home Office (ibid.).
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
References
Agence France Presse (AFP) [Hong Kong, in English]. 8 January 1996. "Visa Restrictions Announced to Curtail Terrorists." (FBIS-EAS-96-008 8 Jan. 1996/WNC)
Consular Official, Embassy of the Republic of the Philippines. 15 March 1999. Telephone interview.
Manila Standard [Manila, in English]. 5 January 1996. Arnold Atadero. "Philippines Campaign Against Terrorism Continues." (FBIS-EAS-96-014 5 Jan. 1996/WNC)
Philippines. Immigration Act. 1977. (REFWORLD)
_____. Revised Naturalization Law (Commonwealth Act No. 473, as Amended). 1977. (REFWORLD)
