The Bureau of Immigration (BI) said it will implement new regulations to lessen the requirements previously imposed on Filipinos with foreign partners departing to meet or marry abroad.
The BI said this streamlining plan follows the recommendations set by the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) for departing Filipino tourists.
BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said the agency has already coordinated with the CFO to address issues on the travel requirements for departing Filipino tourists, adding the new rule has been disseminated to their immigration officers nationwide.
The streamlined requirements were part of the 2023 Revised Guidelines on Departure Formalities released by Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking, but which implementation was suspended.
Under the new guidelines, Filipino fiancées, spouses, and other partners of foreign nationals holding tourist or other limited period of stay visas are no longer required to undergo the CFO’s guidance and counseling program (GCP).
However, the CFO clarified that the requirements for Filipinos departing with immigrant or with long-term permanent residence visas, spouse or partner visas, J1 visa holders bound for the United States of America, and au pair visa holders bound for Europe remain, which requires them to secure the GCP prior to departure.
The new rule is set to be implemented after the CFO signed a memorandum of agreement on the shared government information system on migration.
The MOA aims to provide a simplified and more efficient means of processing, collecting, verifying, and sharing information needed by both agencies through system interoperability and real-time data sharing.
Meanwhile, Immigration Officers assigned at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 barred from entering the country an American national tagged as a registered sex offender (RSO).
The American, identified as Gabriel Rodriguez, 34, attempted to enter the country but was intercepted by BI officers.
Records reveal that Rodriguez has been convicted in 2019 in the US for unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor.
“Registered sex offenders pose a threat to our people. Those who prey on children have no place in the Philippines,” Tansingco said.