BI extends tourists’ stay

The steady increase in foreign tourists has prompted the Bureau of Immigration (BI) to allow them to extend their stay in the country for up to two years.

In a statement, BI Commissioner Marcelino Libanan said he issued a Memorandum Order yesterday allowing foreigners with temporary visitor’s visas to extend their stay in the country from two months up to 16 months, even without the approval of any BI official.

Visa extensions can even be as long as 24 months or two years, provided that the application had been given a go signal by the agency’s Immigration Regulation Division (IRD).

“Meanwhile, those seeking extensions of stay after 24 months need the approval of the commissioner,” Libanan said.

With the new directive, Libanan hopes that they would be able to attract more foreign visitors to the country.

The BI said that about 196,172 people applied for visa extensions during the first six months of the year, a jump from 161,984 during the same period last year.

“These statistics indicate that our country is fast emerging as one of Asia’s most favored tourist destinations,” added the BI commissioner. A total of 468,281 foreigners arrived in the country from January to June this year. – Evelyn Macairan