Jec's Travel and Visa Services

04/09/2021

04/09/2021

‼️ ‼️: On the Extended Temporary Closure of CO NCR East (SM Megamall)

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) advises the public that the operations of DFA Consular Office (CO) NCR East, located at SM Megamall, are further suspended from September 6 to 10, 2021.

11 CO NCR East personnel have been infected with COVID-19, while others have been identified as close contacts. As such, the CO shall suspend operations to conduct thorough disinfection of its premises and to comply with the isolation and quarantine guidelines imposed by the Inter-Agency Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases and the Department of Health.

Affected applicants for this period will be accommodated at DFA-Aseana on their scheduled day. They will receive an email providing them with an alternative passport appointment time slot.

The Department requests the public's continued understanding as it adheres to the prescribed measures against the COVID-19 pandemic for the safety of personnel and applicants. END.

04/09/2021

01 September 2021
PRESS RELEASE

Travel ban on 10 countries to continue until September 5

MANILA, Philippines -- The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has announced the extension of the temporary travel ban for passengers coming from 10 countries until September 5.

In an advisory, BI Commissioner Jaime Morente said that following the directive from Malacanang, as recommended by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID), the restriction for those coming from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia is extended from September 1 to 5, 2021.

Those coming from the said countries, as well as those with a travel history in the 10 countries within the last 14 days prior to arrival to the Philippines, will not be allowed to enter.

Morente added that other travel restrictions remain in place. Currently, only Filipinos, balikbayan, and those holding valid and existing visas are allowed to enter the country. The entry of foreign tourists remains suspended.

The move, Morente said, has been implemented as the IATF deems it the best action to slow down the rising number of COVID-19 cases and stop the further spread of the delta variant while increasing the country's existing healthcare capacity.

04/09/2021

TRAVEL ADVISORY

https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/2021/08/30/resolution-no-135-c-s-2021/

Please be guided accordingly.

04/09/2021

04/09/2021

03 September 2021
PRESS RELEASE

BI deploys 99 new officers to NAIA

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) announced the deployment to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) a total of 99 new immigration officers (IOs) who were recently recruited by the agency to beef up its manpower at the country’s premiere port.

“Our new IOs have started reporting for duty in the three terminals of the NAIA since last week, and they are currently undergoing on-the-job training prior to their full deployment in our immigration counters,” Atty. Carlos Capulong, BI Port Operations Chief.

In a report to BI Commissioner Jaime Morente, Capulong said that the new immigration officers will be rotated on their shift assignments every week “so they can experience the challenges, and grasp the enormity of their roles and responsibilities as border control officers of our country."

Morente, for his part, exhorted the new BI personnel to be always proud of their jobs and exhibit professionalism and integrity in the discharge of their duties.

“Now, more than ever, it is imperative for us to prove to our leaders and countrymen that we are dedicated to our mandate of protecting our borders from being infiltrated with unwanted aliens,” the BI Chief added.

He also reminded the new employees that apart from thwarting the entry of undesirable aliens, they, too, are tasked with seeing to it that poor Filipinos are not victimized by human traffickers who will recruit and attempt to send them abroad.

It was learned that the new BI recruits have just completed their three-month training on immigration laws, rules and procedures after being from among thousands of individuals who applied for the 99 Immigration Officer 1 plantilla positions.

BI officials said the new immigration officers were fielded to the NAIA in time for the anticipated reopening of the country’s borders, and opening of other international airports.

“We believe that as more and more Filipinos are vaccinated, this pandemic will soon be a thing of the past and there were will be an influx of international travelers into our country. Thus, this early we are already preparing and bracing for this eventuality,” Capulong said.

Morente shared that they are expecting another batch of immigration officers to graduate before the year ends.

04/09/2021

Beginning September 7, foreign nationals who are fully vaccinated with Healthy Canadians approved vaccines may be eligible to enter Canada for discretionary (non-essential) travel.

Learn more ➡️ http://ow.ly/UJf350G3ZAu

04/09/2021

U.S. Embassy Consular Operations (Visas) as of August 2021
Read: https://ph.usembassy.gov/visa-update-consular-operations-visas-as-of-august-2021/

Routine visa services remain suspended because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The U.S. Embassy in the Philippines continues to operate with reduced staffing. We appreciate your continued patience and understanding.

As conditions surrounding the COVID-19 situation improve, the Embassy will provide additional services, culminating eventually in a complete resumption of routine visa services. The Embassy cannot predict when the resumption of full visa services or processing of a specific category of visa will occur.

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Immigrant Visa (IV):

The Embassy continues to have a significant backlog of all categories of immigrant visas. We are using a tiered approach to triage immigrant visa applications, based on the category of immigrant visa, as we resume and expand processing. While we schedule limited appointments within all four priority tiers every month, the following lists the main categories of immigrant visas in priority order:

• Tier One: Immediate relative intercountry adoption visas, age-out cases (cases where the applicant will soon no longer qualify due to their age), and certain Special Immigrant Visas (SQ and SI for Afghan and Iraqi nationals working with the U.S. government)
• Tier Two: Immediate relative visas; fiancé(e) visas; and returning resident visas
• Tier Three: Family preference immigrant visas and SE Special Immigrant Visas for certain employees of the U.S. government abroad
• Tier Four: All other immigrant visas, including employment preference and Diversity Visas

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Nonimmigrant Visa (NIV):

The Embassy continues to prioritize travelers with urgent (i.e. matter of life and death) travel needs, foreign diplomats, and certain mission-critical categories of travelers, such as students and exchange visitors (F-1, M-1, and J-1) and temporary employment visas (H-1B, H-2B, and L nonimmigrants). Visa appointments and processing for B1/B2 (Business/Tourist) remain suspended, with the exception of interview waiver renewals.

We understand that many visa applicants have paid the visa application processing fee and are still waiting to schedule a visa appointment. The Embassy will extend the validity of your payment (known as the MRV fee) until September 30, 2022, to allow all applicants who were unable to schedule a visa appointment as a result of the suspension of routine consular operations an opportunity to schedule a visa appointment with the already paid fee.

• NIV Expedite Appointment Requests: Expedite requests for emergency travel may be submitted via our website at http://www.ustraveldocs.com/ph/ph-niv-visaapply.asp. Please note that the applicant will need to book a regular appointment through our appointment system before requesting an expedited appointment through http://www.ustraveldocs.com/ph/ph-niv-expeditedappointment.asp.
• NIV Interview Waiver: The interview waiver program has been expanded. Information is available at https://ph.usembassy.gov/visas/visa-updates/.

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Visa Scheduling:

After we resume visa processing, which will be confirmed on our website at https://ph.usembassy.gov/visas/visa-updates, applicants can reschedule the first available visa interview appointment slot by phone at (+632) 7792-8988 or (+632) 8548-8223, or through our online appointment system at http://www.ustraveldocs.com/ph/. There is no fee to change an appointment. After routine visa processing resumes, if you have difficulties rescheduling a pending consular appointment, you may send an email to [email protected] for specific guidance.

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Contact Us:

• Scheduling, case status, passport delivery, and other questions can be directed to [email protected].
• Case-specific inquiry regarding a visa case: https://ph.usembassy.gov/visas/contactus/
• For seafarer concerns: [email protected]

04/09/2021

The Philippines on Thursday evening welcomed more than 180,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine from the COVAX facility.