Alien Certificate of Registration Identity Card Registration Due March 1, 2021

The situation

Foreign nationals holding a valid Alien Certificate of Registration Identity Card (ACR I-Card) and under a long-term work visa in the Philippines must appear at a Bureau of Immigration (BI) office by March 1, 2021 to file their Annual Report (AR). They can also authorize their Fragomen immigration professional to file the AR on their behalf, which would waive the foreign national’s personal appearance requirement.

A closer look

• Documentary requirements. Foreign nationals or their representative must present the following documents at a BI office:
  • Original ACR I-Card;
  • Valid passport;
  • Official receipt evidencing payment of the PHP 310 AR fee;
  • Printed confirmation number issued via the online system (for foreign nationals who have not done so in the past); and
  • If filing through a representative, a Special Power of Attorney with a valid government-issued identification card of the legal representative.
• Pending ACR I-Card applications. Foreign nationals whom are pending ACR I-Card issuance with “under application” status, are required to comply with the AR requirement.
• Regulatory relief. Aside from the AR fee of PHP 310, no other amount will not be imposed even for the non-filing or late filing of the AR. In the past, non-filing or late filing of the AR subjected foreign nationals to fines and other penalties.

 

Impact

• Immediate action required. To avoid any consequences in relation to their immigration status, affected foreign nationals should comply with the filing requirement as soon as possible. Employers and foreign nationals should notify their Fragomen immigration professional immediately if they require assistance.
• Consequences for late filing. Although no additional fines and monetary penalties will be imposed for the non-filing or late filing of the AR, Fragomen recommends that the AR registration be completed before March 1, 2021 to avoid other adverse immigration impacts such as delays to renewal applications.

 

Background

• Purpose of AR. The BI requires foreign nationals to file an AR in order to track their stay and status changes, if applicable, in the Philippines.

• Worldwide reporting requirements. Foreign national reporting requirements are also a feature of immigration systems in Thailand, where foreign nationals must report their presence after 90 consecutive days of stay; and in Iraq, where employers must submit a monthly list of all foreign workers to the government.
• Regulatory relief during COVID-19. The suspension of imposing fines and monetary penalties for non-filing, late filing and failure to comply with compulsory notification and other reportorial requirements is in line with the National Task Force Against COVID-19 directive to provide regulatory relief to promote continuity and capacity-building in all sectors of the economy during the pandemic.

 

Looking ahead

The Philippine government is likely to continue to provide regulatory relief for other immigration applications such as visa renewals and visa cancellations by relaxing deadlines for late filings of applications and the removal of monetary fines. 

Fragomen will report on relevant developments.

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].