BI lifts ban on quota immigrant visas for foreigners

After suspending the issuance of five-month quota immigrant visas to foreign nationals, the Bureau of Immigration will resume giving out such visas following new guidelines under a recently released memorandum circular. Commissioner Ronaldo Ledesma said the processing and approval of such visas under past administrations were “prone to corruption" and led to alleged anomalies, making it as necessary to suspend the practice first before adopting stricter measures to ensure that only legitimate and qualified applicants are granted such permanent visas. “We needed to formulate guidelines on accountability, transparency and good governance with regard to the issuance of the quota immigrant visas to prevent abuse," said Ledesma. Under the 1940 Philippine Immigration Act, quota immigrant visas are issued only to nationals of countries which have diplomatic relations with the Philippines and grant Filipinos the same immigration privileges under the principle of reciprocity. Ledesma said under the new rules, only foreigners with special scientific, educational and technical skills and knowledge and those with viable investments in the Philippines can avail of the visa. Only the BI commissioner may issue such visas, but limited to only 50 visas per foreign nationality every year. Ledesma said the new guidelines are “no longer prone to abuse as they conform to the present administration’s thrusts to institute transparency and curb corruption in the bureaucracy." He said the BI will start accepting applications for the quota visa after a personnel order is issued designating the authorized immigration legal officers who would hear and screen such applications. Cited for successfully cutting red tape Civil Service Commission chairman Francisco Duque made a surprise visit to the BI main office in Intramuros, Manila on March 4 as part of the commission’s heightened campaign to cut red tape in the bureaucracy in compliance with the provisions of the Anti-Red Tape Act. The CSC chair inspected the BI’s National Operations Center that monitor the activities in all the country’s international airports, the Alien Registration Division, visa extension and student sections to observe how transactions are done in the three offices most frequented by foreigners. Ledesma showed Duque a copy of the bureau’s citizen’s charter which details the step-by-step processes and procedures for processing visa applications and other immigration documents. Duque in turn handed to Ledesma the CSC’s report card showing that in terms of implementing the ARTA, the BI had obtained a highest grade among government agencies nationwide — 79 percent and a descriptive rating of “good." – MRT/VS, GMA News