Overstaying Chinese national intercepted at NAIA

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) confirmed Wednesday that a Chinese man was intercepted at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) for overstaying his visa.

BI commissioner Atty. Joel Anthony Viado shared a report from the BI’s Immigration Protection and Border Enforcement Section (I-PROBES) regarding the interception of the individual identified as Zhang Chao at the NAIA Terminal 1 last 25 February.

I-PROBES officers discovered that Zhang had overstayed his visa by two months and attempted to leave the country illegally through immigration.

A redundancy check revealed that Zhang had been overstaying since December 2024.

Viado said that Zhang was processed by an immigration officer suspected of facilitating his unlawful departure.

The BI chief also disclosed that Zhang’s passport was marked cleared by an immigration officer at NAIA despite his failure to properly extend his visa.

“We have initiated an investigation on this matter and will recommend to the Department of Justice to file the appropriate case against the said officer,” Viado said.

He also reaffirmed his “one-strike policy” and said he will not hesitate to press charges against erring officers.

Following his arrest, Zhang was turned over to the BI Legal Division for booking and the initiation of deportation proceedings and will remain at the BI Warden Facility in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City pending deportation.