BI to issue tamper-proof visa stickers

MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Immigration is set to implement a tamper-proof visa sticker project for foreign tourists to prevent fraud in the agency’s visa extension system.

Immigration Commissioner Ricardo David Jr. said they decided to push through with the project to stop the proliferation of fake immigration stamps and generate revenue.

“The stick-on visa will have security features that can’tt be replicated by fraud syndicates,” David said.

“The introduction of a tamper-proof stick-on visa will cripple the activities of fixers and fraud syndicates who profit from forging the extension stamps on passports of unsuspecting foreign tourists,” he said.

David said they were crafting the guidelines for the project’s implementation.

The visa sticker scheme is one of the projects being deliberated on by the recently created Strategic Planning and Special Concerns Office (SPASCO), headed by Immigration Regulation Division (IRD) chief Alberto Braganza.

Braganza said the new office aimed to provide purpose, direction and focus to the bureau’s programs through good strategic planning.

Under the memorandum circular that created it, SPASCO is tasked to “formulate development plans and programs for the BI; identify strategic projects and conduct feasibility studies; prioritize and allocate funds and resources for project implementation.”

SPASCO has submitted to David its proposals to implement a border management system for the BI; an integrated anti-trafficking in persons action plan; revised procedures for billing the overtime pay of immigration officers from airline and shipping firms; and a monitoring program for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).