Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Norman Tansingco said that they are implementing the latest rule update from the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) lessening departure requirements for Pinoys with foreign partners.
In a letter dated August 31, CFO Chairperson Secretary Romulo Arugay informed the BI that effective September 3, Filipino fiancés, spouses, and other partners of foreign nationals holding tourist or other limited period of stay visas are no longer required to undergo the CFO guidance and counseling program (GCP).
The GCP was initially a requirement for Filipinos with foreign partners departing to meet or marry abroad.
The CFO confirmed that the latest development lessens departure requirements for Filipinos.
Tansingco said that the new rule has been cascaded to immigration officers nationwide, and shared that the streamlined requirements were actually also part of the 2023 Revised guidelines on departure formalities released the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT), whose implementation was temporarily suspended.
“The Inter-agency is committed to continuously review departure requirements for departing Filipinos to adapt to current trends,” said Tansingco.
“The BI, as an implementing agency, is ready to implement changes in departure guidelines, as deemed fit by members of the inter-agency,” he added.
BI’s Tansingco set to lecture on combating trafficking in Taiwan
Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Norman Tansingco is set to lecture in an anti-trafficking workshop in Taiwan.
The event, dubbed as the ‘2023 International Workshop on Strategies for Combating Human Trafficking Agenda’ is hosted by the National Immigration Agency (NIA) in Taiwan and will be held on September 6.
In the workshop, Tansingco will serve as a keynote speaker as an expert in anti-trafficking measures to discuss human trafficking schemes and its countermeasures.
Also attending to serve as a panelist is Immigration Protection and Border Enforcement Section (I-PROBES) Chief Ann Camille Mina.
The workshop started in 2009, and is conducted annually, with attendees from immigration and other law enforcement agencies nationwide.
Apart from Tansingco, other speakers are from Belgium, Taiwan, Vietnam, United Kingdom, Indonesia, Japan, as well as representatives from international organizations.
The BI’s expertise in anti-trafficking measures as a member of the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) has allowed it to be invited to participate, and lead regional and international activities for a discussion in trafficking.
Through the IACAT’s efforts, the country has been given the sought-after Tier 1 Status by the US State Department’s Trafficking in Persons Report.
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