Justice and immigration chiefs are mulling a switch to non-extendable 30-day visas upon arrival amid concerns over an influx of Chinese into the Philippines.
Currently, visa under arrival (VUA) recipients may stay in the country for 30 days and are allowed to apply for an extension of up to six months.
Now, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) has recommended a tighter regime to the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Speaking today (Monday, August 26), BI spokeswoman Dana Sandoval said the bureau had submitted its position to Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra after its operations team reviewed “possible weak points” of the VUA policy.
“The management recommended to the DOJ that recipients be given a maximum of 30 days, with no extensions, as well as base allowed stay on itinerary presented,” she said.
Deputy spokesman Melvin Mabulac said the BI submitted its recommendation to the DOJ last week.
Justice Undersecretary and department spokesman Mark Perete said the DOJ saw the shortening of the visa’s validity period as a measure to prevent possible abuse, adding that it was a proposal that had been raised by the DOJ.
“What we are interested in are the other measures proposed by the BI intended to further prevent any abuse of the VUA,” he said. “We will review and evaluate the recommendation as soon as possible.”
The BI started its review of the policy even before Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin suggested the change in policy amid concerns about the influx of Chinese people into the Philippines.
For Chinese visitors, the visa upon arrival privilege was issued by former Justice secretary Vitaliano Aguirre in 2017, prompting the BI to issue “landing visas”, which allow arrivals to receive visas at the airport.
The BI privilege opened to Chinese members of organised and accredited tour groups, businesspeople endorsed by local and foreign chambers of commerce and other government agencies, as well as athletes and delegates to conventions and exhibitions.
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