BI braces for possible influx of foreign students

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Thursday said it is bracing for the possible influx of foreign students returning to the Philippines amid the loosening of COVID-19 restrictions in the country.

In a statement, BI Commissioner Jaime Morente assured the concerned parties that the process of converting to student visas remains “smooth and seamless.”

“I have instructed our personnel to coordinate with our other stakeholders to ensure the smooth processing of returning foreign students,” Morente said. 

“This would be the Bureau’s share in helping the recovery of the education sector that was also badly hit by the pandemic.”

Majority of foreign students were repatriated to their home countries following the nationwide closures and lockdowns during the onset of COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

BI student visa section chief Anthony Cabrera said they are expecting the return of foreign students by the third quarter of the year, when the schools start their school year as some will hold limited face-to-face classes.

“We are encouraging these foreign students to come back and continue their courses, which have been disrupted by the pandemic,” Cabrera said.

Cabrera said he had meetings with school officials and groups, who expressed their desire to resume accepting foreign students.

The BI earlier reported that more than 35,000 foreign students are studying different courses in the country.

The agency said that it is expecting more visitors to the Philippines after the Inter-Agency Task Force for COVID-19 response approved the scrapping of travel requirements. —Richa Noriega/KBK, GMA News