Acting bureau chief Roy Almoro said the bureau has already given ample time to secure the new document after the deadline for applications was moved several times.
In his statement, Almoro reiterated his warning against foreigners who fail to file application for I-Card today, saying they will be subjected to deportation proceedings for violating immigration laws.
Almoro likewise revealed that the bureau has received a total of 96,066 appplications as of Nov. 13 — which he said was way above their target of 87,000.
BI technical assistant Manuel Ferdinand Arbas also reported that some 6,000 I-Cards have remained unclaimed by applicants and are already available at the bureau’s I-Card center.
Arbas stressed that foreigners should first secure their I-Cards before their visas expire because it is a requirement in renewing visas.
As of Monday, a total of 72, 535 I-Card applications have already been approved, 8,974 are still being processed while 4,000 are awaiting approval.
The I-Card, a tamper-proof document resembling an ATM card, serves as proof of legal residency. Foreign residents would no longer have to secure exit or re-entry permit when leaving the country.
The new document replaced the alien certificate of registration as part of the immigration bureau’s program to make its transactions "paperless." — Edu Punay