Title
Legal residence for certain aliens via social integration
Law
Republic Act No. 7919
Decision Date
Feb 24, 1995
The Alien Social Integration Act of 1995 allows aliens with unlawful residence status in the Philippines to be integrated into society, subject to certain requirements and fees, with the aim of controlling and regulating their admission and integration into the country.
alien social integration
control and regulate
admission and integration

State policy and purpose

  • The State shall control and regulate the admission and integration of aliens into its territory and polity.
  • The State shall integrate aliens with unlawful residence status into the mainstream of Philippine society subject to national security and interest and in deference to internationally recognized human rights (Section 2).

Who may receive legal residence

  • Upon effectivity, aliens whose stay is otherwise illegal under existing laws and who entered prior to June 30, 1992 are granted legal residence status upon compliance with the Act (Section 3).
  • The coverage includes aliens who availed in good faith of the benefits of Executive Order No. 324 whose applications were approved before or after November 21, 1988 (Section 3).
  • Legal residence under this Act bars prosecution for crimes defined in Commonwealth Act No. 613 (“Immigration Act of 1940”) that are inherent to illegal residence, such as absence of valid travel documents or visa (Section 3).
  • The bar to prosecution applies only to crimes or felonies committed due to acts necessary or essential to maintain a false or fraudulent or illegal residence, such as falsification of marriage, birth or baptismal certificates or travel documents, visas or alien certificates of registration (Section 3).
  • Alien refugees in the Philippines are not qualified to apply under this Act (Section 3).

Social integration requirements and fees

  • Social integration is effective and benefits are enjoyed only upon completion of all acts under Section 4 (Section 4).
  • Registration forms must be filed with these agencies: (1) the civil register of the alien’s place of residence; (2) the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR); (3) the Bureau of Immigration; (4) the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI); and (5) a commercial or universal bank where the alien pays the integration fee as provided (Section 4.1).
  • In lieu of filing in five agencies, registration forms may be filed in five (5) sets with a commercial or universal bank certified by the BIR as authorized collectors for income tax (Section 4.1).
  • The registration forms must contain:
    • the applicant’s full name and one alias by which the applicant may be known (Section 4.2);
    • proof of identity, good moral character, and financial capacity through affidavits from two (2) Filipino citizens of good reputation in the applicant’s place of residence (Section 4.2);
    • history of stay in the Philippines (Section 4.2);
    • residential address for the immediate past five (5) years (Section 4.2);
    • four (4) passport size pictures and a complete fingerprint card for each agency mentioned in Section 4.1, including the applicant’s most recent dental records to be submitted to the NBI (Section 4.2).
  • Integration fees must be paid to any duly licensed commercial or universal bank accredited by the BIR as authorized to receive income tax payments (Section 4.3).
  • The fee schedule is:
    • PHP 100,000 upon filing of the registration forms with the bank, plus PHP 50,000 per year over a three-year period from the payment of the first installment (Section 4.3.1);
    • the subsequent three (3) installment payments must be paid within twelve (12) months from the date of the first payment with no extensions (Section 4.3.1).
  • Those who availed of Executive Order No. 324 whose applications were approved before or after November 20, 1988 must have their payments credited to their favor (Section 4.3.1).
  • An applicant may instead pay a lump sum of PHP 200,000 in lieu of installment payments (Section 4.3.1).
  • A single payment schedule applies for family members:
    • PHP 50,000 for the spouse, and
    • PHP 25,000 for each legitimate child below eighteen (18) years of age (Section 4.3.1).
  • Children born after June 30, 1992 of parents who received benefits under this Act become legal residents upon proper registration with the Bureau of Immigration (Section 4.3.1).
  • Integration fees paid by an alien are in lieu of all immigration fees and fines the alien may have incurred during unlawful residence in the country (Section 4.3.1).
  • The applicant must submit a medical certificate stating:
    • the applicant is not a user of prohibited drugs and is not a drug addict, and
    • the applicant is not afflicted with Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) (Section 4.4).

Official receipts and bank responsibilities

  • The commercial or universal bank must issue an official receipt acknowledging receipt of the integration fee upon payment of a processing fee of PHP 1,000 (Section 5).
  • If registration was effected under paragraph 2 of subsection 4.1, the bank must furnish copies of the registration documents to: (1) the civil register of the applicant’s place of residence, (2) the BIR, and (3) the NBI (Section 5).
  • After furnishing copies, the bank must issue a certification to this effect in favor of the applicant (Section 5).

Issuance of ACR and publication at cost

  • Upon presentation by the applicant of:
    • the bank official receipt, and
    • a certification from the bank or the concerned agency that the civil registrar, BIR, and NBI received copies of the registration forms,
    • and upon submission of the registration forms under Section 4.2 to the Bureau of Immigration,
      the Bureau of Immigration must immediately issue an Alien Certificate of Registration (ACR) (Section 6).
  • Legal residence granted under this Act commences on the date the Bureau of Immigration issues the ACR (Section 6).
  • The Bureau of Immigration must publish at the applicant’s cost the names, ages, addresses, and a photograph of each applicant in a national newspaper of general circulation at the end of each calendar month during the effectivity of the application period (Section 6).
  • The authorized collecting banks must collect a publication fee of PHP 5,000 from the applicant (Section 6).

Duties of civil registrar, BIR, and NBI

  • The civil registrar, the BIR, and the NBI must perform a ministerial duty to accept the registration forms required under Section 4 (Section 7).
  • Each of these agencies may charge no more than PHP 100 for filing the registration forms (Section 7).
  • After payment of the filing fee, each agency must issue a certification that the alien has filed with that office by the alien personally or through the bank all forms required under Section 4 (Section 7).

Application period and related procedures

  • The benefits extended under Section 3 may be availed of from June 1, 1995 to December 31, 1996 (Section 8).
  • Any alien may avail of the procedure for administrative confirmation or affirmation of stay in the Philippines (Section 9).

Eligibility for citizenship

  • Aliens granted legal residence under the Act may apply for naturalization after five (5) years from the approval of the applicant’s application (Section 10).

Oversight reporting by Bureau of Immigration

  • The Bureau of Immigration must submit to the chair of the committees on justice of each chamber of Congress, with copies furnished to the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, a written report on implementation developments on:
    • November 30, 1995
    • May 31, 1996
    • November 30, 1996
    • May 31, 1997
      for oversight functions (Section 11).

Perjury and loss of residence

  • Registration forms and required proof must be supported by affidavits of two (2) Filipino citizens of good reputation in the applicant’s place of residence (Section 12).
  • All applications must be made under oath or affirmation, and the oath or affirmation is required for registration (Section 12).
  • Applicants who knowingly make untruthful statements on any material matter in applications commit perjury under the Revised Penal Code (Section 12).
  • In addition to perjury penalties, subsequent convictions of the applicant revoke the legal residence granted and subject the applicant to deportation proceedings (Section 12).

Appropriation for implementation

  • PHP 5,000,000 is appropriated from payments received under Section 4 to cover administrative and other expenses to be incurred in implementing the Act (Section 13).

Privacy and permitted use of information

  • Information submitted by an alien applicant must be used only to:
    • determine the veracity of the applicant’s factual statements, or
    • enforce the penalties prescribed by the Act (Section 14).

Self-executing nature and rule-making

  • The Act’s provisions are self-executory and do not depend on the issuance of any rules or regulations (Section 15).
  • The Secretary of Justice is authorized to promulgate only such rules and regulations as may be needed to efficiently and administratively implement the Act (Section 15).

Separability, repeals, and effectivity

  • If any provision of the Act is declared invalid or unconstitutional, the remaining provisions continue in full force and effect (Section 16).
  • All laws, decrees, or rules inconsistent with the Act are repealed or modified accordingly (Section 17).
  • The Act takes effect fifteen (15) days after publication in at least two (2) national newspapers of general circulation (Section 18).

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