Updated Office Areas of Responsibility
- The circular identifies specific offices by name/location and assigns their area(s) of responsibility by named place and/or province/region coverage.
- Immigration NCR Region includes, among others: BOI Makati Immigration Extension Office (Makati City), PEZA Immigration Extension Office (Roxas Boulevard, Pasay City), SM North Immigration Satellite Office (SM City, North EDSA, Quezon City), and Las Piñas Immigration Field Office (Las Piñas City), with coverage stated for BOI-registered companies, PEZA-registered companies, and Metro Manila (North/South) areas.
- Immigration Region I includes, among others: Vigan Immigration Field Office, San Fernando Immigration District Office, Dagupan Immigration Field Office, and Laoag Immigration Field Office, with coverage stated for their listed provinces/cities and the enumerated province coverage.
- Immigration Regions II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, XII, XIII (CARAGA) each contain named district/field/satellite/one stop/border crossing offices with areas of responsibility enumerated for the cities and provinces they cover.
- Immigration ARMM Region includes Bongao Immigration Field Office, Jolo Immigration Field Office, and Taganak Immigration Field Office, with areas of responsibility stated for Tawi-Tawi, Sulu, and the enumerated Turtle Islands and related island coverage.
Scope of Authority and Assignment
- The Commissioner of Immigration designates:
- Senior I.O. or ACO to a District Office;
- Field Office Chief to a Field Office;
- Extension Office Chief to an Extension Office;
- Satellite Office Chief to a Satellite Office;
- ACO to a One Stop Shop;
- Chief to SVS (Student Visa Section); and
- I.O. III (BCO) or Officer-in-charge to a Border Crossing Station.
- Heads of offices are charged with the proper, effective, and efficient implementation of all immigration and alien registration laws, rules and regulations.
- Heads exercise general administrative, operational control, and supervision over personnel assigned to their offices except matters involving Bureau policies, policy directives, and policy decisions, which must be referred to the Commissioner of Immigration through the Chief, Immigration Regulation Division.
- The Chief, Immigration Regulation Division must monitor strict compliance with the circular and is authorized to access the visas, permits, payments, and ACR I-Card systems of the Bureau.
- The Chief, Immigration Regulation Division retains authority to accept, endorse, and/or process applications from:
- the Student Visa Section;
- District, Field, Extension, and Satellite offices; and
- One Stop Shops.
- Decisions of the heads of the offices named above are appealable to the Chief, Immigration Regulation Division within five (5) days from notice.
Filing and Processing Rules
- Applicants must file applications at the appropriate BI (Bureau of Immigration) office.
- Immigrant Visas must be processed at the BI office with jurisdiction at the applicant’s place of residence.
- Non-Immigrant Visas must be processed at the BI office with jurisdiction on the applicant’s place of work.
- Special Working Permits and Provisional Work Permits must be processed and issued at the BI office with jurisdiction on the applicant’s place of work.
- Student Visas must be processed and issued at the Student Visa Section, or processed at the BI office with jurisdiction at the applicant’s school.
- Special Study Permit must be processed and issued at the Student Visa Section, or processed at the BI office with jurisdiction at the applicant’s school.
Limitations on Office Acceptance
- The Student Visa Section may accept applications only for:
- Special Study Permit (SSP);
- 9(f) Student Visa; and
- other related transactions for foreign students and accreditation of schools.
- District, Field, Extension, and Satellite offices may accept requests and applications not for BOC action, including requests for: SSP, SWP commercial, and TVV extension.
- Only online-capable District/Field/Extension/Satellite offices with ACR I-Card data capturing facilities may accept requests and applications for BOC action, including visa applications.
- ACOs and heads of immigration offices are authorized to conduct hearings for immigrant and non-immigrant visa applications.
- Online-capable offices may accept CA 613, Sec. 9(f) applications and must forward them to the Student Visa Section for processing and approval.
- BOI Makati Extension Office must cater only to foreign nationals under:
- Top 1000 Corporations;
- BOI-Registered companies; and
- applications for Special Investor’s Residence Visas.
- PEZA Immigration Extension Office must accept foreign nationals only under PEZA-registered companies by virtue of Chapter II, Sec. 36 of RA 7916 (Special Economic Zone Authority Act of 1995) and the Memorandum of Agreement between BI and PEZA dated September 2, 1999.
- One Stop Shops must accept applications only from foreign nationals within their respective areas of jurisdiction as covered by existing Memoranda of Agreement and Joint Memorandum Orders between their Special Economic Zones and BI.
Reportorial Requirements
- All heads of the Student Visa Section, District, Field, Extension, and Satellite offices, and One Stop Shops must submit daily to the Chief, Immigration Regulation Division a list of:
- all visas processed; and
- all permits issued,
together with their corresponding Official Receipt numbers.
- The submission deadline is not later than 1000H of the next working day.
Administrative Sanctions and Effects
- Violation of the circular subjects the erring official or employee to administrative sanctions in accordance with the Revised Rules on Administrative Cases in the Civil Service (RRACCS).
- All previous issuances inconsistent with the circular are repealed and/or modified accordingly.
- The circular takes effect immediately.
- A copy of the circular must be furnished to the Office of the National Administrative Register (ONAR), U.P. Law Center, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City.