Student visa to take only seven days

CEBU, Philippines - A top ranking official of the Bureau of Immigration-Cebu District Office said that application for a student visa can now be finished in just seven days in his office.

BI-Cebu District Office alien control officer Casimiro Madarang III said yesterday that he is now authorized by BI Commissioner Siegfred Mison to approve such application.

“Mas dali na lang ma-approve ang student visa application tungod kay gihatagan ko og authority ni Commissioner Mison nga mo-approve sa maong application,” said Madarang.

He said that provided all the requirements are complied with, the student visa application can even be approved in two to seven days.

“Basta kumpleto lang ang tanang requirements, duha gani ka adlaw, ma-approve na nako. Labing dugay mga seven days,” he said.

Prior to this development, applicants have to go the BI head office in Manila for approval, which would take several months.

According to Madarang, the BI-Cebu District Office is the only one which can approve student visa application outside their head office.

Mison’s move is in consonance with the request of school administrators in Cebu that student’s visa application approval should be done here.

“Requests g’yud ni sa mga schools nga anhi na g’yud i-approve ang application for the convenience of their students’ visa application,” Madarang said.

Last May, BI-Cebu District Office’s Student Visa Center was formally opened for the benefit of foreign students studying in Cebu and other parts of the Visayas.    

In Cebu alone, there are more than 3,000 foreign students studying.

Madarang further said that fees for student visa remain the same but, in a way, will increase since it will now be good for one year instead of the usual six months. — (FREEMAN)