POGO workers urged to downgrade visas by 15 October

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) announced that there will be no extension to the 15 October deadline for Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) workers to voluntarily petition for a visa downgrade.

This was confirmed during the recent briefing of officials from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) together with BI Acting Commissioner Atty. Joel Anthony Viado and representatives from POGOs.

Foreign nationals can downgrade their visa from a work visa to a temporary visiting visa, which permits them to lawfully stay in the Philippines for 59 days while concluding their affairs.

Atty. Viado recalled that the President had ordered all foreign POGO personnel to leave the country by the end of the year, which falls within the 59-day timeframe after 15 October.

The interim chief added that the Bureau is committed to expediting the downgrading process for POGO employees. They will ensure that the orders of the President are implemented swiftly and efficiently.

As part of the government's coordinated effort to address the closure of POGO operations, the BI, along with the Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), PAGCOR, Philippine National Police (PNP), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), and the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC), formed a task force on POGO closure.

On Monday, 30 September, the BI and PAGCOR hosted a briefing with officials from POGO enterprises.

During the briefing, Atty. Viado shared that exit clearances and downgraded visa status will be implemented on the spot, adding that DOLE representatives will also be present during these service days to accept surrendered Alien Employment Permits from POGO workers.

The BI emphasized that there is now no justification for foreign POGO workers to put off compliance because the processes for downgrading a visa have been made simpler.

Foreign workers who fail to leave the country by 31 December, 2024, will face deportation proceedings and be included in the BI blacklist banning them from re-entering the country.