MANILA, Sept. 29 (PIA) -- The Bureau of Immigration (BI) placed 11 Chinese nationals in the Bureau’s blacklist for overstaying.
BI Commissioner Jaime Morente issued orders placing the 11 aliens in the Immigration blacklist after they were ordered to leave the country and meted fines and penalties for exceeding their allotted stay.
"They were allowed to come here by availing a visa upon arrival (VUA), yet they abused that privilege by overstaying without valid reason and justification at all," Morente said.
It was found out that the 11 blacklisted Chinese nationals arrived here on separate dates in November and December 2019 and January 2020 which means that they are overstaying for nine to 10 months.
Under the rules, VUA grantees are not allowed to extend their stay beyond 30 days.
The VUA program, which the government launched three years ago to attract Chinese tourists and tour groups, allows them to travel to the Philippines and stay here for not more than 30 days without the need to apply for visas at Philippine consulates in their places of origin. VUA grantees apply for the scheme through tour operators accredited by the Department of Tourism (DOT).
The BI, however, suspended the implementation of the VUA in January, with the onset of the Covid-19 outbreak in Wuhan and other places in China. The scheme remains suspended as the government continues to restrict the entry of foreign tourists due to the COVID-19 pandemic (VQR/PIA-IDPD with BI).
Source: Philippines Information Agency (pia.gov.ph)
0 Comments