Visa Fees

BI Offers Amnesty to Foreigners Illegally Staying in Cebu

CEBU CITY, Sept. 22 (PNA)-- Foreigners, who are illegally residing in Cebu or anywhere in Central Visayas for less than two years, may avail themselves of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) amnesty program. Immigration Regional Director Geronimo Rosas said overstaying aliens must take the new amnesty program, a new policy of Commissioner Marcelino Libanan to give illegal aliens the chance to legalize their stay. Rosas, however, said foreigners who are illegally staying in the country for more than two years already cannot avail themselves of the amnesty and will be encouraged to leave voluntarily.He said the new policy is more liberal when it comes to visa extensions and explores corrective mechanisms."Commissioner Libanan is giving overstaying aliens an opportunity to come out in the open and legalize their stay. This allows overstaying aliens to avoid the inconvenience and embarrassment of being arrested, jailed and deported, especially in light of the government's ongoing massive crackdown against illegal aliens," Rosas said. He said the move, as admitted by Libanan, will in a way be beneficial to the government as it will generate substantial revenues for BI, which is under the Department of Justice (DOJ). "The Immigration Bureau, as a regulatory and enforcement agency, is also collecting fees for services rendered that are remitted to the National Treasury," Rosas said. He believes that there are hundreds of foreigners who are illegally residing in Central Visayas, mostly in Cebu .The immigration director urged illegal aliens to register and not wait for authorities to catch them. Rosas said aliens, who will voluntarily submit to BI jurisdiction, will not be arrested but will be assisted to legalize their stay instead.” What they are going to do is comply with BI rules and regulations and pay whatever fees they owe to the government," the official said. More than 7,000 foreigners are permanent residents in the Visayas. They are engaged in business, married to Filipinos or are working in various companies. These permanent resident aliens are required to secure the I-Card, a paperless travel record that cannot be tampered with. But Rosas said the number of overstaying aliens increased, with some of them trying to avoid arrest. (PNA)