Steve Rossell
Thanx Davita! That gave me a great belly laugh :icon_lol:
p.s.
Still chuckling. :)
davita
spicyayam wroteI have a friend who will be going through next week. If he makes it back I will let you know
More important spicy...can you please, please....let us know if he doesn't...:cupcake:
gilbert de jong
Hi y'all :)
will do my best and translate :
Instructions----for the Head of Immigration Office Ngurah Rai
About----Raising the level of monitoring (checking) Foreigners in the region of the
Ngurah Rai Immigration Office.
Considering : a. The meeting on 17 Oktober, between Komisi III DPR-RI +
several Tourism Organisations + Bali Police + Ministery of
Law & Human Rights Bali.
b. That in this meeting both the Tourism
Organisations and the Komisi III DPR-RI were complaining
about the lack of Monitoring/Checking Foreigners and the
increasing number of expats who work illegally in the
Tourism Business on Bali.
c. That to assist and help the Immigration to
monitor/check foreigners (in the field), we need to further
enforce the powers that the Immigration has, like checking
foreigners in traffic and where in Indonesia foreigners are
staying (living).
Remembering : 1. Law number 6 of 2011 about Immigration
2. Government Rules number 31 of 2013 about the rules to
enforce the Law number 6 of 2011 about Immigration
3. Decision of Ministery of Justice and Human Rights Indonesia
in 1995 number M.02.PW.09.02 about "How" to monitor
Foreigners, submit complaints of Foreigners and actions of
Immigration.
4. Directive of General Director how to monitor/check
foreigners and actions of Immigrations
5. Directive of General Director How to handle/what to do,
when a foreigner is reported by someone.
Instructions :
To : 1. Department head of monitoring and actions of Immigration.
2. Department head of Arrival and Entry of Immigration.
3. Department head of information and Communication.
4. Department head of Traffic and Immigration Status.
For:
first : To Increase the monitoring and checking of foreigners we need great
effort and support from all departments and parties involved in this.
second : Increase monitoring/checking of all foreigners at the counter of
Immigration, especially....
Third : increase monitoring/checking of every foreigner who has entered
Indonesia twice in less then 1 year, using a VOA/free tourist-visa/free
visit tourist. except holders of ITAP/ITAS/Diplomatic/service/multiple-
visa.
Fourth : Increase monitoring/checking foreigners in the field, who work as
waiter/concierge of tours/concierge of businesses/tourguide/scuba
instructor/ or do any other work that could be done by a local.
Fifth : Each foreigner that falls into the above mentioned (point2 and 3)
category is to be denied entry into Indonesia at the Immigration-counter,
because he/she could potentially be working in Indonesia.
Sixth : Each foreigner who does something as mentioned at point 4, is hereby
to be taken into custody and handled administratively, and blacklisted.
seventh : To increase the performance of the Team working outside
(in the field), they may work together with other departments who
also have a task in monitoring/checking foreigners.
Eighth : The department of traffic and immigration status, can only renew a
ITAS/ITAP after the Department of monitoring/checking has verified
that the application to renew is based on the truth
Nineth : Collecting data and information by all departments, to enact an
operation monitoring/checking Immigration-status.
Tenth : All costs related to this Instruction will be paid for by the 2015 annual
budget of the Immigration Office Ngurah Rai.
Eleventh : This Instruction is to be carried out from this date till 31-12-2015.
Steve Rossell
I'll be heading to Singapore to replenish my sosbud visa in December and I'm only taking an overnight bag. Brave? I don't think so.
As has been pointed out, there has been no change in law, just a period of closer scrutiny and closer co-operation between Government agency's.
I regularly attend a language school here in Bali and they are the sponsors for my visa and must keep records of my attendance for possible random checks by Imigrasi. If however I chose to 'get around' the letter of the law then that could possibly be a cause for some concern but a concern only because of the heightened vigilance and co-ordination of a number of agency's. :D
Dua puluh tahun yang lalu (I knew those lessons would eventually come in handy), I came to Bali on a Journalist visa. 'Impossible to get' I was told in Oz. 'Just do what everyone else does and disguise your camera gear' I was told. It wasn't easy but with the correct supporting material and vouch sayers it was approved, albeit 4 days before my flight was due to depart the land down under.
Since I've been here I've noticed an increase in immigration checks and deportations anyway. Journalists and crews here for the Corby and Bali 9 cases, Asian work crews, Europeans on a fashion shooting assignment and even the rapid departure of a large amount of overseas staff working for an international surfing goods company that were hosting and sponsoring an international surfing event at Uluwatu. They're just the ones I've heard about.
If you're not relying on 'getting around' the system and all your ducks are in a row then there's not much to worry about I reckon.
davita
If these points in the memo to Immigrasi are rigorously applied I wonder what will happen to all those Fly In-Fly Out (FIFO) guys. I know many whose families are established here but if hubby, working in Aussie, cannot return after the second visit on a VOA, there will be a mass exodus.
Does anyone have any idea how many FIFO are living in Bali?
I can imagine vacant villas, grocery stores empty, schools looking for students, motor bikes with 'for rent' signs lining the street...the list goes on.
SHoggard
Davita... Good point. I was thinking along those lines also, you beat me to it
>[I]I can imagine vacant villas, grocery stores empty, schools looking for students, motor bikes with 'for rent' signs lining the street...the list goes on[/I].>
You forgot the bars... lots of them
davita
SHoggard wroteDavita... Good point. I was thinking along those lines also, you beat me to it
>[I]I can imagine vacant villas, grocery stores empty, schools looking for students, motor bikes with 'for rent' signs lining the street...the list goes on[/I].>
You forgot the bars... lots of them
hahaha...I was thinking of adding the bars but surmised there's enough of us more permanent stragglers to support at least the ones with decent beer and prices...frankly, Potato head and Rock Bar can close for all I care.
Fred2
Meeting was held at Surabaya Immigration, slide show, plenty of speeches and light refreshment. Outcome was ALL immigration officers to check for illegal workers.
Seem to be working, there again today & they had 15 illegal workers lined up for interview, some were really pissed off ,they were telling immigration that there agents & employers said it is ok to work on VOA. Agents were telling them to sit down & say nothing.
davita
@ post 28
Seems like Surabaya is dealing with the issue of foreign workers without permits better than Bali. This idea of harassing people entering Bali by investigating the potential for work, by checking the visa for repetition, will be counter-productive. I know many, myself previously included, who used sosbud just to stay longer without any intent to work...indeed....provided much to the general economy.
I hope Bali Immigration change their attention to finding those workers, already here, and deporting them.
Fred2
I will admit that some Chinese teachers were somewhat pissed, I have never seen someone yell so load, I don't think it will have a happy ending, but the boys were having a bit of a laugh.
Gago
Hi all,
I jut visited my visa agent and he confirmed he got many clients that have done their Visa Run from oct 20 to oct 26 without any problem. So far seems like the recommendation is not enforced.
He said this is not a law, just a trial, but may not be enforced at all.
He said however we should be ready to answer further investigation from the immigration : sources of revenue, plans in Indonesia during our stay, relationship with the sponsor ...
He is in touch with the immigration at Ngurah Rai Airport and I will stop by to get further update soon and see if anything has changed in the enforcement of this measures.
Cheers
davita
Re: post 32
Good post gago...please do update as rumors abound and you have it from the 'horses mouth'.
I was hoping it would work like that...to limit entry due to amount and repitition of visas is overkill. There are many other ways to control those abusing the system.
When we first started coming to Indonesia it was on many Sosbuds as my wife's mother, aged 96, was in critical health and my wife (her youngest child) needed to be beside her.
Cheers to you
dinodino
Well, as I'm in California (working here, not in Indo!) and I'm flying back to Bali tonight, I'm quite curious to see what the situation will be upon arrival. My family and I have been simply doing visa runs for the past three months, and are going to do another on September 2. I don't work in Indonesia at all, and if the whole family flies to Singapore on the 2nd and can't return, it's going to cause major grief...
This new visa policy seems ill-advised to me. I'll certainly post my experience once I return...
davita wroteRe: post 32
Good post gago...please do update as rumors abound and you have it from the 'horses mouth'.
Gago
Hopefully we will have a definitive answer to whether this recommendation is being enforced or not.
I am gonna visit my agent today and will ask her if she got some info about this and let you know if anything helpful.
Anyway there are so many people doing visa runs everyday we will know pretty soon if some are stuck in the imigrasi, I got some friends as well going out soon.
But it sounds like they this measure wouldn't be automatic, they would need to assess the possibility that you would be working illegally. But how are they gonna check this ! Otherwise they may turn it around and assume anyone with 2 VOA and 1 SOSB in the previous 12months is working illegally and we should actually show them by any mean that we are not working here ! Which doesn't make any sense but there is not much making sense in here !
Moreover to bypass this measure, if enforced we would simply need to go through another airport and spend some more money to come to Bali by domestic flight, just annoying everyone and making us spend always more money for these issues.
Many of us are not miss-using their visa but suffer from these abusive measures unfortunately. Hopefully, as very often nothing will be implemented, only nonsense talks.
Finger crossed
davita
My wife went to our agent today (we have both applied for retirement Kitap). She knows the staff well and broached the subject of the new memo. They all said that new restrictions WERE in the process and they had a big job informing clients that may be affected.
She wasn't interested in detail, as she was engrossed in getting as much discount as her smile/chat could achieve, but it appears things ARE about to change..... so I suggest 'be aware'!
edit...I just talked to my wife again and she overheard that a Sosbud in future will only be for 4 months max and only 1 per year, as the memo said.
I predict this edict will hurt many, many people.....:grumpy:
dinodino
Thanks, Markit. I meant, "November 2," not, "September 2." I hope you are correct about the soup!
Markit
dinodino wroteWell, as I'm in California (working here, not in Indo!) and I'm flying back to Bali tonight, I'm quite curious to see what the situation will be upon arrival. [COLOR=#ff0000]Visa On Arrival -why should that be an issue?[/COLOR]
My family and I have been simply doing visa runs for the past three months, and are going to do another on September 2. [COLOR=#ff0000]What? Did you mean December?[/COLOR]
I don't work in Indonesia at all, and if the whole family flies to Singapore on the 2nd and can't return, it's going to cause major grief... [COLOR=#ff0000]Don't worry this has been blown way, way out of proportion by the FarceBook horde of undead. There has been no change to the visa regs and if anything they will get easier as time goes on IMHO[/COLOR]
This new visa policy seems ill-advised to me. I'll certainly post my experience once I return...
Do your family visa runs with no worries. This is Indonesia "soup is cooked lots hotter than it is eaten" to quote a German saying.
dinodino
Well, I reentered Bali on a VOA without so much as a raised eyebrow from the immigration officer. Now, let's see how the visa run on Monday with the family goes...
meerkat
well when you consider the recent changes granting 45 more countries "free visa" on arrival,I guess it's safe to assume that income from VOA will drop,and so enforcing visa laws for visa's that generate income makes sense from a National point of view...
http://www.balistoreluggage.com/blog/indonesia-free-visa-for-5-countries-in-2015/
spicyayam
Apparently the rule has now been cancelled. [ATTACH]2560.vB[/ATTACH]
