Immigration officers, how to deal

[wahmjunkie]

Help naman mga sis.

I'm going to HK and I had been traumatized the first time I had an encounter with one of our IOs. i feared that I won't be allowed to leave then, buti na lang she let me pass.

Now, I'm bound for HK again. The issue now is, I ditched my office job and decided to  I work at home. I've read somewhere that  IOs are getting stricter nowadays specially on those who don't have a job. I do earn money but not in a traditional way.

I'm traveling with my boyfie and we're not yet married so I can't say I'm a housewife.

Should I just bluff my way out? Or just say I am a freelancer or would it complicate things even more?

Thanks for your responses. I'll wait for them.

[freeswan]

naku sis, parang ang hirap naman. kasi when i left, our IO asked for my company details and company id. pwede naman siguro sabihin mo freelancer ka.

[mooncake and leaves]

NEVER ever lie. una, kapag totoo sinasabi mo, lahat ng ibabato nilang tanong sa yo, masasagot mo. walang loopholes. and even if you get rejected, that really wouldn't be the worst thing.    it happens. eh kung mahuli ka nagsisinungaling, who knows kung anong mangyari sa yo.

 

[juana_antonia]

Napakahigpit naman ng mga IOs pala nowadays.  Hongkong lang andaming tanong?  Sabagay, they're just doing their job siguro.

[pretty_me]

Super higpit na nga nila these days para siguro ma-thwart kahit paano ang human smuggling.

Si boyfie nung umalis siya, grabe ang tanong sa kanya. Kaka-graduate lang kasi and wala talagang work pa. Gusto muna mag-relax bago pumasok sa corporate world. Sa immigration ang tagal nya nakipagusap, hindi pa natuwa sa mga sagot nya, pinadala sya mismo sa holding room for questioning ng supervisor. Siguro 1.5 hours sya in total, buti delayed flight nya kung hindi naiwan na siya.

Sabi nga ni sis mooncake, never lie. Magaling manghuli ang mga IO.

[super_inLove]

Ako sis wala rin akong work and I've been to HK a lot of times. Luckily, wala pa naman akong bad experience sa IOs. Naka based kasi ngayon sa HK asawa ko magisa lang ako pumupunta dun. Basta complete papers mo wag ka kabahan. Just present your passport, flight details, hotel reservation or invitation letter kung hindi ka sa hotel mag stay instead sa flat ng kakilala mo. Tama si sis mooncake, never lie. Just be yourself!

[Water and Wine]

Just be honest and prepare the documents that can help you like your return ticket, hotel voucher, etc =)

If you earn money in a 'not traditional way', maybe you can just indicate in the departure card that you're a businesswoman.

[riandrew]

Tell the truth.
Since they'll be assuming na jobless ka, given na wala kang maprovide na company ID, then bring sufficient show money. Prepare mo din yun hotel bookings mo.

I know a fellow blogger, male, soloista, nahold sa HK (for 15mins lang naman). He only had $100 kasi di naman daw sya magDdisneyland or Ocean Park. Pinakita nya din yung hostel booking nya. Di pa din convinced. Pinakita nya yung travel blog nya. And finally, the IO let him pass. 

[barefoot_taka]

IOs are pahirap sa buhay! ang mahal mahal ng travel tax natin tapos kung makapagtanong sila akala mo kung sino! itanong daw ba sa asawa ko kung bat twice syang nag singapore nung april! paki ba nila! eh past na yun! dapat yung current travel ang tanungin! susko! vietnam ang punta namin pero ang binusisi nung IO lahat ng past tatak sa passport ng asawa ko..yung sa akin wala deadma lang sya.

[kokobebe]

When I went to HK last March, super daming tanong sakin ng IO pati sa friends ko. May comedy pa nangyari sa friend ko. LOL!

Ako kasi yung una palagi sa line ng IO that time kasi mas may alam ako sa trip namin dahil ako yung gumawa ng IT namin. So the usual questions were anong gagawin sa HK, sino kasama mo, and saan ka nag-wowork. Nung sinabi ko san ako nag-wowork, hiningian niya ko ng Company ID so I showed it to her. After nun, okay na ko. Next naman yun friend ko, same set of questions then yung last question sa kanya "Are you also working in **** with kokobebe?" sagot ng friend ko, no but she works for this company. So pinapasok na siya. Then yung last friend ko, ang tagal niya dun sa IO. Ang daming tanong sa kanya and to think kakauwi niya lang nun from the US ah. My friend was working for this online marketing company na based sa Singapore. So shempre, online talaga yung work niya. Nung hinahanapan siya ng company id, wala siya ma-present but she advised the IO na she can show him a copy of her business card nalang. Eto ang nakakatawa, pagkasoli nung IO ng business card niya, nilagay nung IO yung cel # niya and his name.  And to think, my friend is only 25 and he's like 45+! Mga more than 5 minutes din siya tinatanong pero pinapasok din. Katawa lang kasi talagang sinulat niya sa business card yung name niya, cell # at nilagay pa pala niya "immigration officer". 

I have another friend rin, we went to Singapore and gosh, the IOs in their budget terminal are really matanong. Walang work yung friend ko that time tas tinanong siya nung IO what do you in manila, sabi niya, im currently unemployed. Tinanong siya how did she finance her trip, tas tinignan lang daw niya yung guy friend ko tas pinapasok narin siya. Akala ata nung IO mag-bf sila kaya pinapasok siya hehe. 

So I guess sis, kung freelancer yung sasabihin mo, might as well have a  business card na pwede mo ipakita sa IO. 

[wahmjunkie2]

Thanks for the replies mga sis!!!!

First of, I had been wanting to thank all of you for your responses but for some reason every time I try it says an error has occurred at hindi daw ako pwedeng magpost. I can't even send personal messages.  I tried emailing GT but had not gotten any response. That's why I created another user name. Oh well...

On topic, the reason I'm worried is that I don' know if they're open to the idea of freelancing or working at home. Pero siguro naman sa dami ng dumadaan sa kanila nakaencounter na sila ng mga freelancers. Kaya lang kasi baka mas lalo ako paginitan since hindi nagbabayad ako ng tax. 

Yes, sis juana_antonia. Medyo naghihigpit na sila ngayon dahil sa human trafficking issues. May article nga napublish sa Philippine Star recently.

Actually, naisip ko na rin ilagay as self employed or businesswoman parang sinabi ni sis Water and Wine kahit sari sari store or something. Baka naman hanapan ako ng business certificate or registry.

Sis riandrew, same plight pala kame ng friend mo. In my case, I don't have a travel blog. Yun kayang mga pictures ng lakwatsa sa Facebook pasok na? LOL

Check sis barefoot_taka!  Sobrang mahal ng travel tax. Kakapanghina. Di ka pa nakakalabas ng bansa, gastos na. Imbes na pang shopping na lang sana.

And finally, sis Kokobebe, panalo ang experience ni friend ha. Siguro maganda si ate at nacrushan sya ni IO. Ako kasi hindi, katamtaman lang.    Since kasama ko naman si boyfie, baka naman pwede na nila ko palusutin since my "other resource" naman. 


Thanks for the responses again. Keep posting your IO experiences mga sis and words of encouragement. 

[freeswan]

sis kokobebe, same questions kami ng friend mo. yung IO ito dito sa philippines ha. sila ang matanong. naunan kasi ang friend ko. tapos ako sumunond. the IO also asked me if parehas kami ng work nung friend kong nauna, sabi ko hindi. sabi ko I work at ****. tapos hiningan niya ako ng company id. eh sa id ko nakalagay eh US address, tinanong niya ako kung saan daw office ko, sinagot ko naman siya. nung naibigay ko na sabi pa niya sa akin "pasensya na ha, d ko na kasi alam tong mga opisinang ito". thunders na kasi si kuya. hahaha

[kokobebe]

sis wahmjunkie2: Panalo talaga experience niya. LOL! Sobrang na-weirdohan talaga kami dun sa IO na yun. I wonder if she still has that business card. Nun ko lang nalaman na ang mga IO's ibang klaseng mag-pick up ng chix. hehe! Honestly, you don't have to worry about the IOs in HK, when we went there, 5 girls kami and the IO didn't ask anything at all. Dito lang satin yung mga paganyan-ganyan, echos lang yun! 


sis freeswan: LOL! Pero pansin ko, puro work-related questions yung mga tanong ng IO dito. Labo lang ha, pero nung dun ako sa NAIA 2 kasi PAL yung flight namin, wala namang tinanong sakin pero pag sa NAIA 3 ang flight, tanong ng tanong. 

[michi247]

siguro depende kung san airport lang, binabasa ko tong thread na to bago kami umalis para ready din ko sa sagot pag may nagtanung.    pero la nagtanung sa kin na IO's, sa DMIA at sa Kota Kinabalu, tatak agad. siguro maluwag pag may kasama na bata. or sa SG at HK talaga maraming tanong.

[cresta]

kinakabahan ako. papunta kmi ni hubby sa SG next week. though i have a job (dentist) sa clinic ng friend ko, wala kming company id na ekek. hubby is dating oofw and cancelled na qatar visa nya, now business man (internet cafe) dalin nalng siguro namin business permit, at ask ako sa friend ko ng cert of employment. hay! mahigpit ba sila sa couples? anniv namin ni hubby, baka mapurnada pasyal dahil sa knila. natetense ako. hay buhay! sayang mafoforfeit na tickets

[llijenna]

pa-share lang mga sis...

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Corrupt-Philippine-Immigration-Officers/195469677132576

[aquacharly]

Ok lang magtanong mga IO para mabawasan yang mga illegal workers victimized in other countries.  What irritates  me is when a Customs Officer asks what I did on the trip just done, asks this upon my return.

Eh ano difference if *censored* ako sa USA vs natulog there all the time? What is gonna be taxed is gonna be taxed di ba?  Kahit sabihin ko, eh I went from  church to church praying all the  time  lang, on my knees pa nga - tignan mo my de-kalyo knees! The contents of my suitcases should stand on their own merits.

 

[tintoink]

sis kokobebe ang kulit.hehe
ako naman hiningan ng invitation letter kasi papunta ako singapore tapos when i gave it to him hindi naman tiningnan. tapos ok na


pero true sa malaysia tatak agad.
 

[yby2476]

teka mga sisses, ask ko lang, lahat ba itong pangyayaring ito ay sa budget terminals? i mean the IOs being mahigpit? and full of questions? never ko kasi na-experience na matanong too the max ng mga IOs sa centennial airport (terminal 2). ang alala ko lang talaga is to act properly when facing them, and dress properly too...yung tipong hinde mukhang OFW ang get-up (no offense to OFW) pero di naman mukhang magfa-fashion show ka naman din...basta decent enough...

[amie30]

^anung OFW getup sis?

we are going to HK next week with my family, kinabahan naman ako, first trip namin to outside of the country.. yung brother ko tambay sa bahay, matatanong din ba sya nun, he's 20 i think..