BI warns vs immigration fraudsters

The Bureau of Immigration issued a new warning to the public and foreign nationals in the country against engaging with scammers offering immigration services.

This comes after agents of the BI intercepted fake BI documents at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport and at the BI Main Office.

According to BI commissioner Norman Tansingco, the BI at NAIA Terminal 1 on 25 October intercepted a 62-year-old American who presented a spurious exit clearance when he tried to board his flight.

According to the BI-NAIA, an exit clearance is required for foreign nationals who stay in the country for more than 6 months under a temporary visitors' visa.

The BI officers at NAIA reported that upon inspection, they noticed that the document contained various discrepancies, including a misspelled name of Tansingco.

Upon verification with their centralized database, the Bureau found out that no such clearance had been issued by the BI and the American passenger was denied boarding and was immediately turned over to the BI's Legal Division for proper disposition.

On 28 October, Tansingco issued a denial of the 36 Indonesian applications for Provisional Work Permit who were petitioned by two Makati-based internet marketing and customer support service companies.

According to Tansingco, the companies submitted a fake Alien Employment Permits as part of their application which is a prerequisite in the issuance of PWPs.

The case of the 36 Indonesian nationals was forwarded to the BI's Legal Division to initiate action against the petitioner and applicants.