Bureau of Immigration brings special visa employment program to Boracay

MANILA, Philippines - The Bureau of Immigration (BI) is promoting its Special Visa Employment Generation (SVEG) by setting up a field office in the resort island of Boracay in Aklan.

“Boracay is one of the country’s most popular tourist destinations. We want to take BI closer to foreigners to make it more convenient for them to process their travel documents,” BI Commissioner Marcelino Libanan said.

Libanan announced the BI plans to put up a special office in Barangay Balabag, located in the 150-square meter property donated by philanthropist Leonardo Tirol.

By bringing the BI to Boracay, Libanan said more foreigners would be encouraged to participate in the SVEG.

“SVEG gives further convenience to foreign investors who want to do their business here in Boracay…With SVEG, they don’t have to fly all the way to Manila every two years to renew their working permit. They don’t have to pay the exit clearance fee either every time they leave the country,” Libanan said.

Libanan noted Boracay attracts many foreign investors.

“We can’t ignore the fact that Boracay is one of the top tourist spots in the Philippines. More tourists means more jobs for Filipinos, that’s why we want to lure in more foreign investors by giving them more convenient ways in doing their business here,” he said.

Libanan said the BI has initially awarded SVEG certificates to 27 foreigners who have already invested in the island.

The SVEG provides indefinite stay to foreign employers who provide full-time jobs to at least 10 Filipino workers in legitimate and sustainable business in the Philippines.

The new job-generating visa aims to create at least 100,000 jobs in its first year alone.

Libanan also launched the Visa Issuance Made Simple (VIMS) process in Boracay.

He said VIMS would cater to the growing number of tourists, particularly Koreans, who have been arriving in droves at the Kalibo International Airport in Aklan.

The VIMS process aims to cut immigration red tape and reduce the documentary requirements for visas by 43 percent and waiting time for the visa application by 82 percent, or from 15 to 50 working days to just one day.