P150-M study permits collected from Korean students BI

MANILA, Philippines – The government has collected some P150 million from special study permits issued to South Koreans who are studying English in the country, Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Marcelino Libanan bared yesterday.

Libanan stressed that the presence of at least 30,157 Korean students in the country as of end 2007 has also provided employment to over 5,000 local English teachers in 200 language schools currently operating nationwide.

“The Philippines has indeed become a favorite educational hub in the Asia-Pacific region. This can be gleaned by the current burgeoning number of foreign students enrolling in our local language schools,” Libanan said in his speech at the recent seminar for Korean Off and On-Line English Institutes.

The immigration chief told over 80 Korean participants that his office would be open to suggestions from foreign operators of English language schools, if only to enhance employment opportunities for Filipino language teachers and to encourage more Koreans to come to the Philippines to learn English.

“And as far as the Bureau of Immigration is concerned, we have not set any limitation to the number of Korean language schools here, provided, however, that they are properly accredited and registered with other concerned government agencies,” Libanan said.

The seminar, organized by the Korean Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (KCCP), had as participants Korean investors in language schools here.

Discussed during the seminar were topics on immigration special study permits, labor and taxation.

According to Libanan, the intervention of KCCP in “building bridges through languages” is very timely, relevant and strategic because of the ever-increasing mobility of Koreans to and from the Philippines.

KCCP president Jae Jae Jang said Libanan’s support for the Korean community and his foreigner-friendly immigration policies have significantly contributed to the growing number of Koreans visiting the Philippines each year.

According to BI’s student desk, the bureau issued 30,157 special study permits as of December 2007, surpassing the previous year’s record of 24,345.