BY JUN RAMIREZ
The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has again eased its requirements for departing foreign nationals to minimize the spread of corona virus among it’s frontliners.
Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente issued a directive allowing foreigners with visas approved to leave the country before they could be issued their alien certificate of registration identity card (ACR I-Card).
According to Morente, the bureau will also no longer require departing aliens with approved visas to secure an ACR I-Card waiver order.
He said the policy will be implemented until the end of the year and may be extended or revoked early depending on the state of the health crisis.
“By allowing these aliens to leave pending release of their I-Cards, the number of people going to our offices will be reduced, thus preventing the further spread of the virus among our frontline personnel and clients,” Morente said.
BI port operations chief Grifton Medina said that in compliance with the BI chief’s directive, immigration officers at the airports will no longer require departing aliens with BI-approved visas but who do not have their I-Cards yet, to present an I-Card waiver order from the bureau.
In lieu of the I-Card waiver order, Medina said passengers will be asked to present their passport with visa implementation stamp and official receipts of payment for their ACR I-Card waiver application fee, Emigration Clearance Certificate/Reentry Permit (ECC/RP) or Special Return Certificate (SRC).
He advised passengers to keep the copies of these official receipts as the same will be required to be presented to immigration officer when they return.
It can be recalled that the BI previously allowed aliens with BI-approved visas to leave without I-Cards last March when Luzon was placed under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) and modified ECQ which prompted the bureau to scale down operations in most of its offices.
The BI resumed issuing ACR I-Cards and I-Card waiver orders in June after the bureau launched its online appointment system for clients after Metro Manila was placed under less strict general community quarantine (GCQ).
However, the BI recently bared that despite the implementation of stricter health protocols, more than 70 of its employees have been infected with the virus.(Jun Ramirez)
