Foreign students in RP up by 20% - Bureau of Immigration

MANILA, Philippines - Foreign students continue to flock to the Philippines, with a majority of them enrolling in language schools, according to the Bureau of Immigration (BI).

Teodulo Estrada, BI student desk head, said as of June 15, a total of 6,416 foreign students were issued student visas.

The number of student visas issued this year increased by 20 percent, compared to the 5,343 last year, he added.

Estrada said the surge in student visa applications could help the Philippines become the educational hub in the Asia-Pacific region.

“We will continue to look for ways to liberalize our rules on student visas so that more foreigners will be encouraged to study here,” he said.

Estrada said the figures could go up further as hundreds of foreign students continue to process their visa applications.

Estrada said these figures pertain to foreign students who had applied for visas at the BI main office in Intramuros, Manila. Student visa applications have also risen in BI field offices in the cities of Cebu, Baguio, Davao, Angeles, and Iloilo, he added.

Estrada said the cities of Cebu and Baguio have the most number of foreign students.

Out of the 6,416 student visas issued this year, 1,871 are for newcomers and the rest for foreigners already studying here, he added.

Under BI rules, a college or university cannot admit foreign students for enrolment unless it has been accredited and authorized by the BI.