Long-Term Visa Holders Must Comply with Annual Report Requirement by March 3

Philippines

Long-term work visa holders in the Philippines who have been issued Alien Certificate of Registration identity cards (ACR-I Cards) indicating "Worker" or "Treaty Trader" status – including but not limited to holders of 9(g) Pre-arranged Employment and 9(d) Treaty Trader work and dependent visas and Section 13 immigrant visas – must appear (personally or through a representative) at the Bureau of Immigration (BI) office and complete their annual report between January 4 and March 3, 2017.

Those who fail to submit the annual report by March 3 may face a fine and/or imprisonment at the discretion of the Commissioner of Immigration.

Exemption for Personal Appearance

Foreign nationals may opt to forego the personal appearance requirement and may instead send a representative to complete the annual report requirement on his or her behalf. The representative must complete the following steps:

• Present the original passport and original ACR I-Card on behalf of the foreign national and/or dependents (if any) for verification purposes;
• Pay the standard annual report fee of PHP 310 plus a PHP 500 express lane fee for non-appearance;
• Provide a Special Power of Attorney on behalf of the foreign national with the legal representative’s valid government-issued identification card; and
• If the foreign national has immigration status issues, submit an undertaking to fulfill the necessary legal obligations.

To meet the exemption, the foreign national must not have violated the Philippine Immigration Act 1940, as amended, or the Alien Registration Act 1950.

What This Means for Foreign Nationals

Long-term work visa holders in the Philippines who have been issued ACR I-Cards should contact their immigration professional to determine the requisite annual report registration documents and for assistance with filing.

We worked closely with Follosco, Morallos & Herce in Manila to prepare this alert. It is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen or send an email to [email protected].

© 2017 Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, LLP, Fragomen Global LLP and affiliates. All Rights Reserved.