Bureau of Immigration earns P3.3 million from special visa scheme

MANILA, Philippines - The Bureau of Immigration’s special visa scheme for foreign employers generated P3.34 million in net income since it was launched last April, the BI reported yesterday.

Cris Villalobos, head of the BI’s Special Visa for Employment Generation (SVEG), said a total of 260 foreigners were issued the indefinite stay visa as of July 10.

Villalobos said the SVEG recipients employ a combined total of 23,329 full-time Filipino workers in various enterprises where they have invested or acquired shares or interest.

Villalobos said Koreans accounted for the bulk of the applicants with 78, followed by 33 Chinese, and 13 Taiwanese.

Also on the list are six Americans, five Britons, four Japanese, three Malaysians, three Singaporeans, three Australians, three Germans, two Swedes, two New Zealanders, two Indians, two Iranians, two from Hong Kong, an El Salvadoran, an Albanian, a Syrian, a Canadian, a Thai, a Danish national, a Pakistani, and an Austrian.

BI Commissioner Marcelino Libanan said the SVEG is steadily drawing the interest of foreign investors as it gives them the privilege of staying in the Philippines indefinitely, provided they employ at least 10 regular and full-time Filipinos.

Libanan said his agency is waging an all-out information campaign nationwide to encourage more foreign businessmen to avail of the SVEG and help generate more employment opportunities for Filipinos. – Helen Flores