THE Bureau of Immigration yesterday said there will be no extension of the October 15 deadline it has set for foreign nationals working for Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) to voluntarily downgrade their visas.
Visa downgrading allows foreign nationals to revert their status from a work visa to a temporary visitor visa, thereby enabling them to remain legally in the Philippines for 59 days while winding down their affairs.
Immigration officer-in-charge Joel Anthony Viado said the 59-day period after October 15 is in line with President Marcos Jr.’s directive for foreign POGO workers to leave by the end of the year.
Viado added that the BI is committed to expediting the downgrading process for foreign POGO employees.
“We will ensure that the orders of the President are implemented swiftly and efficiently,” he said after a briefing late Monday afternoon with officials of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) and POGO companies.
As part of the government’s coordinated effort to comply with the President’s directive, the BI, together with the Department of Justice, Department of Labor and Employment Department of the Interior and Local Government, PAGCOR, Philippine National Police, National Bureau of Investigation, and the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission formed an interagency task force to come up with the necessary guidelines on the closure of POGOs.
“During the briefing, the BI said that it may conduct implementation days for POGO companies, where we will implement their downgraded visa status and issue exit clearances on-the-spot,” Viado said, adding that DOLE representatives will also be present during these service days to accept surrendered Alien Employment Permits from POGO workers.
The acting BI chief said that the procedures for visa downgrading have been simplified, leaving no excuse for foreign POGO workers to delay compliance.
Workers who fail to leave the country by December 31, 2024, will face deportation proceedings and will be blacklisted from re-entering the Philippines.
