One more question/doubt about visa extention to Solomon Islands

Hello,welcome again. I have yet another question, or rather doubt, concerning visa extention.

My return plane ticket is four months after the arrival date (i.re. I arrive in Hobiara on 26 August and - if everything goes well and the money remains - I will leave on 22 December).

When I arrive in Honiara, border/airport authorities will obviously see that my return flight is approx. 120, rather than 90, days after arrival. Can I have some problems regarding this if I only wanted to extend my visa afterwards (i.e., for example, towards the end of the usual 90-day period)? Isn't it better/safer to try to obtain a necessaqy permit PRIOR to arrival in Solomon Islands, e.g. by sending some sort of a letter explaining why I want to extend my stay one month longer? If so, what would the most feasible/credible explanation be? I am trying to obtain the backup of some school/university to explain that I will be "after" the myths/legends/custom stories/folk tales of the locals, although - while not a lie - it is not entirely true either.

What happens if i send the letter to appropriate authorities but do NOT obtain the permit/ What happens if I do not obtain the letteritself? What happens if I come to the Solomons WITHOUT any back up document and they see my flight is only in December? What happens if they let me in but I am still unable to extend at some later time?

Any explanations, clarifications, comments, remarks, pieces of advice etc. etc. will be more than welcome. While I believe everything is going to be fine, there is still some vestige of doubt...

Many thanks

Kind regards

Wojtek

A few questions for clarification.
- Where are you flying to Honiara from?
- Where are you flying to, after leaving Honiara?
- Which airline are you booked with?

These may affect what I suggest.

Ozziegiraffe, here are my responses:

1. My flight is: Warsaw-London, London-Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur-Brisbane and Brisbane-Honiara
2. If you exclude (potential) internal flights between islands, at the end of my stay I am returning exactly the same way, i.e. Honiara-Brisbane, Brisbane-Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur-London and London-Warsaw.
3. British Airways on the Warsaw-London-Warsaw leg, Malaysian Airlines on the London-Kuala Lumpur-Brisbane-Kuala Lumpur-London leg, and Solomon Airlines (although may be operated by Air Vanuatu) on the Brisbane-Honiara-Brisbane leg.

Many thanks

Kind regards

Wojtek

It is the Brisbane-Honiara bit I am interested in. If you are booked on Solomon Airlines, it is possible to change flights without penallty. Air Vanuatu has not operated Solomon Airlines flights out of Brisbane for a while, though there was a recent problem with the Sol air plane, so this could change.
The only problem is, the usual return flight has to be within 3 months, or you pay much more.
If that is not a problem I would book a flight out of Honiara 3 months from your arrival date, then ask Solomon Airlines to change your flight out if and when you get an extension on your Visa.
Incidentally Pacific Blue (Virgin) also flies Brisbane-Honiara, on different days, but may not be as accommodating about changing flight dates.
I have had to change Solomon Airlines flight dates several times, including once when a friend's new baby arrived 3 weeks early. Her husband had to get home in a hurry.

I always land in Solomons with a 4-month return ticket, get the 3-month visa at the airport then extend that as soon as possible at Immigration downtown. But I've never had to change my outbound ticket so don't know anything about that.

Watsoff, what reason do you provide for extending your stay when you contact the Immigration?

Ozziegiraffe, I already have an outbound Honiara-Brisbane flight booked 4 months after arrival AND the booking agent told me there WOULD be pensalty fees for chsanges.

Kind regards

Wojtek

I told them that 3 months wasn't long enough to visit all the islands I wanted to visit and added that I was trying to find friends that had returned to their own islands during the fighting, which was true. They agreed that even 6 months wasn't enough time due to the lack of transportation at the time. But I got the impression they weren't particularly interested in a reason and I suspect just saying I needed the time to get around the islands would have been sufficient. I'm sure things are different these days; Ozzie will know as she visits more often than I do. I think they're more accepting of visitors now than they used to be so it might be easier these days. Good luck.

In some ways things are easier, and they certainly want paying visitors, but RAMSI has tightened up some procedures.

Ozziegiraffe, Watsoff, I might need your experience, expertise and wisdom here:

As you know from my previous mails, I definitely need, want and must stay for four months in Solomon Islands. Now, I can either risk, arrive in the country, and be at the whim of an Immigration Officer who - seeing my return ticket in four months' time - may or may not grant me a four-month visa or a three-month visa with a request/order to extend it asap (in which case I may or may not receive an extension).

Or, I may play it "fair", and to send to the appropriate immigration authority (Director of Immigration, Ministry of Commerce, Employment & Tourism) a letter by regular or e-mail stating that I am doing research (obviously this will have to be officially research of the kind that you normally expect from regular scientific establishments rather than something "weird and eerie"), and I already have a letter to that effect.

However, the catch is that on the page of the Ministry of Commerce, Employment & Tourism it says that if one is granted a visitor's permit (i.e. a regular visa): "The visitor will not engage in research except with the approval of the Minister for Immigration". Which may mean that I would, on top of everything else, need to seek an approval from the Minister/Ministry without being sure that I will obttain one and probably having to wait for ages, moreover if it involves any kind of "interview", it may turn out that - yes - I am indeed for research alright, but for an entirely different kind of research... On the other hand, if I do NOT contact the Minister/Ministry of Immigration", I may then be refused extension for research and all my letter will be in vain.

Moreover, the Internet site also states that:

"A visitor’s permit can be extended beyond the 3 months for a further period or aggregated period of up to 3 months provided there are special circumstances justifying the extension. A standard application form for extension needs to be filled up accompanied with a photograph of the applicant (passport photo) together with the required fee (appropriate fees, see column on Immigration fees),"

and

"Similarly a visitor who wish to undertake research must also submit a research permit from the Education Minister or Department prior to a grant of a visitor’s permit."

What is the best course of action under these circumstances, what do you think? Or shall I scrap the "research" idea altogether and present some other reason instead (but what reason to be at least 90% sure that they are going to extend?)?

Any suggestions, ideas, remarks etc. are surely welcome.

Many thanks

best regards

Wojtek

Given that your research is very unlikely to turn up any positive results, why don't you go as a visitor for 3 months, and see how you go?

Ozziegiraffe, thanks for the tip, but why do you assume in advance that my research is not going to yield any positive results?

Kind regards

Wojtek

Because the website you got the information from has very little credibility to anyone who has lived in Solomon Islands.
The so-called researcher could not have been in Western Guadalcanal when he said he was, for a start.

Hi there! I suggest you use just travel as a visitor then when you get into the country then go straight to the Immigration department to change.

How about that!

cheers