The Bureau of Immigration (BI) reported on Wednesday that its officers at Clark International Airport (CIA) in Pampanga arrested a Canadian national for attempting to leave the country using a counterfeit Philippine visa.

BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco identified the individual as 64-year-old Nelson John Amos. He was apprehended on 3 August at CIA while trying to board a flight to Hong Kong with HK Express.

The arrest followed the discovery by a BI officer that the Alien Certificate of Registration Identity Card (ACR I-Card) Amos presented was not recognized in the BI’s automated travel control system. Verification revealed that the ACR I-Card belonged to a Korean national with a different name and birthdate. BI anti-fraud personnel confirmed that both the ACR I-Card and visa were fraudulent.

During a secondary inspection by the Immigration Protection and Border Enforcement Section (I-PROBES), Amos admitted to obtaining the fake documents from a fixer for P40,000. He claimed he received the ACR I-Card and passport with the false visa less than a week after paying but said he was unaware that the documents were fake.

Commissioner Tansingco warned foreign nationals to avoid using fixers and to conduct their transactions directly at any of the BI's 63 offices nationwide. A list of these offices is available on the BI's official website, immigration.gov.ph.

Amos is currently detained at the BI Warden Facility in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City, pending deportation proceedings.