The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) signed a data-sharing agreement with the Bureau of Immigration (BI) to streamline and reinforce government efforts aimed at preventing the entry of illegal aliens into the country.
DOLE Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma and BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco signed the agreement at the DOLE central office in Intramuros, Manila on Feb. 26. One of its goals is to establish a framework for real-time data exchange between the two agencies.
Under the terms of the agreement, DOLE will provide BI with comprehensive data on foreign nationals issued alien employment permits (AEP), certificates of exemption and exclusion, as well as information on canceled and revoked AEPs and certificates of exemption.
“Eventually, the manual verification will be a thing of the past, and the AEPs of the DOLE and the BI system through the application programming interface will expand our exchanges of information and will result in streamlining the process of both agencies,” Laguesma said.
For his part, Tansingco said the data will serve as a resource for BI in verifying the information submitted by applicants seeking conversion to or extension of their 9(g) working visas.
“The primary objective of this collaborative effort is to ensure that only legitimate foreign workers, duly vetted by DOLE, are granted work visas and permits in the Philippines,” according to the BI
commissioner.
The AEP, a primary requirement for foreign nationals applying for work visas, plays a vital role in maintaining the integrity and security of the labor market.
“We thank our partners from the DOLE for their continuous support on the efforts to improve the system. Through this agreement, both the BI and the DOLE will be able to better enforce our mandates,” Tangsingco added.
The initiative comes on the heels of a comprehensive restructuring of BI’s visa issuance system. Tansingco likewise noted that the BI
already initiated the development of an online application system for
working visas to streamline the procedures and enhance accessibility
for the applicants.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline “DOLE, BI sign deal to streamline efforts vs illegal aliens.”