Key Takeaways:
- BI bares new visa tampering cases, warns students about engaging with online fixers.
- Only the school’s authorized representatives should transact with the BI officers.
The Bureau of Immigration (BI) in the Philippines warns international students against engaging with online fixers offering assistance with student visa processing following four new cases of visa tampering.
In a statement, BI Commissioner Jaime Morente said they had received a number of cases of foreign students who were deceived by the modus operandi of fixers last month.
Morente cited the case of an Indian national who attempted to get his Alien Certificate of Registration Identity Card at the BI’s Student Visa Section in Quezon City. However, a BI official found no student application record, and the student’s visa had expired. The student’s passport was also found to be marked with fake visa extension stamps.
With this, Morente said that only the authorized representative of the school that the foreign students attend should transact with immigration officers on the students’ behalf.
“They should refrain from engaging the services of these so-called fixers, many of which they just met online, as these would only bring problems to them,” he added.
One of the students later filed a complaint, according to the BI. Authorities arrested the fixer after an entrapment operation.
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