The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Friday said that foreigners in the Philippines holding student visas may still be subjected to a government intelligence investigation if found to be conducting illegal activities.

Under the law, foreign nationals holding student visas could undergo scrutiny from the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) for activities that seem to threaten the state's security, according to BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco.

Tansingco said that the governing law on such matters is Executive Order No. 285, series of 2000, which establishes an inter-agency committee on foreign students. The BI is part of the inter-agency, headed by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), together with NBI, NICA, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), and the Department of Education (DepEd).  

The BI chief clarified that under the said law, the BI may only issue student visas to foreign nationals who have been endorsed by legitimate schools and by CHED.

He further stated that all educational institutions that take in international students must send regular reports to the BI, which will keep an eye on their visa compliance; the CHED, which will make sure that policies pertaining to education are followed; and the NICA, which will look into any suspicious activity.

Tansingco reports that prominent Philippine colleges have backed the issuing of student visas for 1,516 Chinese citizens to attend Cagayan University in 2023. However, there are rumors that the school is adopting remote learning, even if there are only about 400 Chinese nationals enrolled.

He said that the post-pandemic recovery and the intensive marketing campaigns by government agencies and educational institutions to promote the nation's educational tourism could be the reasons for the increase in enrollment. Foreign students' acts "are worth looking at by government intelligence agencies" since they are both important to ensure national security and well within their jurisdiction.

Tansingco hopes that the checks won't stop qualified foreign students from continuing studies in the Philippines, despite worries about the country’s security sector.

“The national government has actively promoted the country as an education hub in Asia,” said Tansingco. “We hope that these concerns do not scare away legitimate students whose stay in the country could greatly help re-boost our economy,” he added.