BI suspends travel agency for ‘duplicating’ visa orders

BI Commissioner Jaime Morente said they obtained evidence that the company, which was not identified pending the investigation, reportedly allowed some Chinese nationals to avail of the visa upon arrival (VUA) facility through fraud, misrepresentation, or false information. (File Photo: Bureau of Immigration, Republic of the Philippines/Facebook)

MANILA — The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Tuesday suspended the accreditation of a travel agency for supposedly duplicating approved visa orders.

BI Commissioner Jaime Morente said they obtained evidence that the company, which was not identified pending the investigation, reportedly allowed some Chinese nationals to avail of the visa upon arrival (VUA) facility through fraud, misrepresentation, or false information.

“We received a report from our men stationed at the airports that they have intercepted a number of Chinese nationals who showed fake VUA orders. What these illegals do not know is that we have incorporated VUA records in our computer systems since early last year, hence visas are immediately verified upon presentation to the officer,” Morente said in a statement.

Morente required the company to submit a written explanation on why its accreditation should not be canceled and its cash bond should not be forfeited.

He added that they have instituted strict measures to ensure that tampering with VUAs will not happen, following concerns from the public regarding the issuance of these visas.

“Apart from real-time system verification, we have also instituted the Special Operations Communications Unit (SOCU) that conducts checking and auditing of VUAs encountered at our ports. We will not tolerate those who make a mockery of our policies,” Morente added.

Stressing that safeguards are in place to detect tampering, Morente warned foreigners that schemes like this will be caught.

BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval, meanwhile, said seven Chinese nationals who obtained VUAs through fraudulent means were immediately sent back to China upon their arrival in the country on January 9.

“So upon encounter sa (at the) airport, ine-encode ang details and nave-verify (their details are encoded and we can verify it) on the spot. No information on their purpose but most probably, (they are) to work illegally here,” she added.

In Department Circular No. 001 issued on January 8, the Department of Justice (DOJ) ordered tightened procedures on the grant of VUAs to Chinese nationals.

The order shortened the allowed period of stay for VUA holders to a maximum non-extendible period of 30 days.

The visa upon arrival program was implemented by the bureau following a 2017 DOJ circular ordering the grant of VUA to Chinese nationals.

The move, as initiated by the Department of Tourism, is aimed at providing faster processing to attract more tourists and investors from China, which according to reports, has the world’s largest number of outbound tourists.