Travel agency probed for fake Chinese visas

Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente on Wednesday suspended the accreditation of a travel agency allegedly caught duplicating visas that had already been issued to other Chinese nationals.

The agency, which the Bureau of Immigration (BI) refused to name pending an investigation, was required to submit a written explanation on why its accreditation should not be canceled and its cash bond forfeited. It is accredited by both the bureau and the Department of Tourism.

According to the BI, it found evidence that the travel agency had allowed some Chinese nationals to avail themselves of the visa upon arrival (VUA) facility through fraud, misrepresentation or false information.

“We received a report from our men stationed at the airports that they [had] intercepted a number of Chinese nationals who showed fake VUA orders,” said Morente.

“What these illegals do not know is that we have incorporated VUA records in our computer systems since early last year, hence visas are immediately verified upon presentation to the officer,” he added.

Immigration spokesperson Dana Sandoval, in an interview with reporters, said that at least seven Chinese nationals were recently intercepted at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport for presenting fake VUA orders. They were immediately ordered deported.

Sandoval suspected that the Chinese nationals came to the Philippines to illegally work here.According to Morente, they have put in place strict measures to ensure that VUAs will not be tampered with.