The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Friday has disclosed that effective government initatives kicked off by the Marcos administration has seen a rise in the number of foreign students in the Philippines.

During the Committee on Justice at the House of Representatives hearing, BI commissioner Norman Tansingco said that foreign students who were granted visas had been endorsed by a legitimate higher education institution (HEI) accredited or recognized by the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd).

Tansingco also reiterated that there are no “anomalies” in the issue of student visas.

“Everything is above board; these students have been issued visas after being vetted and endorsed by legitimate schools,” Tansingco said.

He attributed the rise of foreign students coming in the country to the active promotion of the government citing the Philippines as a regional and international center of education in Asia for the past few years.

The BI chief added that the increase of foreign students is not the result of any anomalies but rather the result of the Philippines’ aggressive marketing campaign.

Meantime, CHEd stated that under Executive Order 285, the Interagency Committee on Foreign Students (IACFS) is responsible for promoting the Philippines as an educational hub in the Asia-Pacific region by encouraging students to study in the country.

The BI is part of an interagency group led by CHEd that includes the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA), the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), and the Department of Education (DepEd).