Immigration revenue in 2020 down 36 percent

MANILA – The Bureau of Immigration has collected close to PHP6 billion total revenue for 2020, 36.1 percent less compared to the record-high income of PHP9.3 billion in 2019.

BI Commissioner Jaime Morente on Monday said the bureau has collected PHP5.88 billion from immigration fees last year despite the pandemic.

“We anticipated our revenues to decrease due to the pandemic. With more foreign nationals going out of the country than going in, we were able to collect less revenue from visa applications,” he said.

Morente attributed the decrease in revenue to the suspension of transactions in the bureau for more than two months after the government declared a lockdown in March last year.

He expected the revenue collection efforts to gradually return to normal this year as the country awaits the arrival of the Covid-19 vaccine and once international travel restrictions are lifted.

BI finance chief Judith Ferrera said the bureau was poised to post another record high income in 2020 if the pandemic did not occur.

She added that the bureau started the year on a very positive note as its collections in January and February amounted to PHP1.8 billion. However, revenues dropped to PHP480 million in March with the implementation of the enhanced community quarantine in the entire Luzon.

Ferrera said the BI sources the bulk of its revenues from visa processing and extension fees, fines and penalties, clearance and certification taxes, and immigration tax.