Travel norms tightened for Filipino tourists to UAE

An affidavit from a sponsor will no longer be enough for Filipinos visiting the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to breeze through immigration checks. The Bureau of Immigration said immigration officers at Philippine airports and seaports will assess travelers on their personal capacity to travel. “The affidavit of support still has to be read and assessed by the immigration officer, as authentication only guarantees due execution by the affiant and does not guarantee its contents," Immigration Bureau officer-in-charge Ronaldo Ledesma said in an article posted Monday on UAE news site Khaleej Times. Ledesma issued an advisory to the Philippine diplomatic missions in the UAE through the Department of Foreign Affairs Office of Consular Affairs (DFA OCA). Ledesma said the assessment will be done when they present themselves for immigration formalities at the departure point. Since September, the Philippine Consulate in Dubai have to attend to more than 300 Filipino expatriates daily. The expatriates were seeking authentication for their affidavit of support or guarantee to be presented to the immigration officer at the airport. The affidavit, executed by the expatriate inviting his family member or friend to come to the UAE, states that the Filipino departing for the UAE is indeed visiting entirely as a tourist for holiday purposes, not for employment. It also states that the sponsor is financially capable of supporting his travel and stay in the country. The Khaleej Times report cited a statement issued on October 4 to Assistant Secretary Jaime Victor Ledda at the DFA-OCA where Ledesma said the BI did not necessarily require an authenticated affidavit of support or guarantee. However, it noted many Filipino travelers resorted to this when they cannot show either their personal capacity or that of their sponsor to shoulder the costs of the trip. “If the travel is not shouldered in their personal capacity, it is usually claimed that it is shouldered by another person. If the visa indicates that there is sponsor, the relationship or reason for the sponsorship is assessed," Ledesma said. If it is readily ascertainable that the sponsor is a relative and it is shown that the sponsor is at the place of destination, the next matter to be assessed is the capacity of the sponsor like work at the place of destination," Ledesma added. Philippine Consulate General Benito Valeriano recommended the scrapping of the authenticated affidavit system after receiving the clarification letter from Ledesma on Thursday. He said his recommendation was already sent to Manila but he has yet to receive any reply from the BID through the DFA’s Office of Consular Affairs. “The Consulate is attending to hundreds of applicants for affidavit authentication daily, but it is the offshoot of the BI’s strict departure formalities," he said. –VVP, GMANews.TV