Fragomen Word Template 2019
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Covid-19 Immigration Restrictions Philippines (as of 29 March 2020) Entry bans and quarantines ► Definitions o Community Quarantine: The restriction of movements in an area that may have been exposed to infection. Discouraging people from leaving homes. o First level (“general community quarantine”): Movement of people is largely limited to accessing basic necessities and work, with uniformed personnel and quarantine officers at border checkpoints. o Second level (“enhanced community quarantine”): Strict home quarantine for all households, transportation suspended, provision for food and essential health services to be regulated, heightened presence of uniformed personnel to enforce quarantine measures. ► Entry and exit bans: o From 15 March to 14 April 2020 [general community quarantine in Metro Manila]: Entry ban into and exit ban from Metro Manila (land, domestic air, and domestic sea travel), including the cities of Manila, Quezon City, Caloocan, Las Piñas, Makati, Malabon, Mandaluyong, Marikina, Muntinlupa, Navotas, Parañaque, Pasay, Pasig, San Juan, Taguig, and Valenzuela, as well as the municipality of Pateros. o From 17 March to 12 April 2020 [enhanced community quarantine in Luzon (including Metro Manila)]: ▪ Domestic Travel: Entry ban into and exit ban from the island of Luzon (including Metro Manila), including land, domestic air, and domestic sea travel. All other non-essential travel by Filipinos out of Luzon remains suspended. ▪ International Travel: • Outbound travel: In the third policy change in 24 hours, the government announced late Tuesday (17 March 2020) that foreign nationals will be permitted to leave the Philippines at any time for the duration of the enhanced community quarantine. International travel out of the country is also permitted for Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) and balikbayan. Outbound flights may be allowed for these travellers, provided that: o They can provide proof of an international travel itinerary scheduled within 24 hours. o Outbound travel by Filipino nationals to jurisdictions where travel restrictions remain in place is still prohibited. o Departing passengers should only be accompanied by not more than one person when travelling to any international port. • Inbound travel: As announced by the Department of Transportation, from 12 am, 22 March 2020, there will be a temporary travel ban on foreign nationals entering the country. The Bureau of Immigration has also confirmed that foreign nationals entering the Philippines on the basis of visa waiver or visa-exempt status, special visas (such as the SRRV or SIRV visa), as well as those holding Immigrant or Non-Immigrant Visas (i.e., 13, 9d, 9f, 9g, 47a(2), etc.) will temporarily not be permitted to enter. Only the following may be exempted: © 2020 Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, LLP, Fragomen Global LLP and affiliates. All Rights Reserved. 1 o Foreign spouses and children of Filipino nationals: Foreign spouses and children, regardless of nationality, travelling with the Filipino national shall be exempted. If the dependent is not travelling with the Filipino national, the dependent should show proof of marriage or filiation. o Visas issued to foreign government and international organization officials accredited to the Philippines. o Foreign crew members. o From 27 March 2020 [enhanced community quarantine in Cebu Province]: Entry restriction for all arriving passengers at Mactan Cebu International Airport. In line with the ECQ, the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) will implement the following restrctions for inbound international passengers: ▪ All arriving international passengers, whether holding Philippine or foreign passports, will be denied entry into Cebu Province. ▪ Outbound passengers are still permitted to depart Cebu Province. ▪ All domestic flights remain suspended until 14 April 2020 or until further notice. ► Visa suspensions: o Temporary Visa Upon Arrival (TV-VUA) program for Mainland Chinese nationals suspended until further notice. o Entry visa issuance to all foreign nationals to enter the Philippines has been suspended. Visas which have already been issued (but not yet used to enter the Philippines) are deemed cancelled. o Visa-free entry privileges for all eligible foreign nationals has been suspended. ► Quarantines: o “Community Quarantines” ▪ The general community quarantine announced by the President on the evening of Thursday, 12 March 2020 impacted Metro Manila (i.e., the National Capital Region), but allowed for local community quarantines to be imposed (determined at the province-wide, municipality or city-wide, or barangay-wide level). ▪ The enhanced community quarantine announced by the President on Monday, 16 March 2020 impacted the island of Luzon (including Metro Manila). o Other Quarantines ▪ Quarantine for 14 days for Filipinos and Permanent Resident Visa holders entering the Philippines from Mainland China or the Special Administrative Regions ▪ Cebu (from 17 March 2020): All passengers arriving at the Mactan Cebu International Airport via any international flight will be required to undergo quarantine. Filipino nationals arriving from foreign countries shall be placed under home quarantine while foreigners shall undergo mandatory quarantine at designated quarantine facilities at their own expense. Other restrictions ► Community quarantine measures may result in local curfews being enforced. ► Community quarantine measures may result in closure of businesses and government offices until further notice. Concessions ► On 19 March 2020, the Bureau of Immigration announced that all foreign nationals whose visas will expire during the duration of the enhanced community quarantine in Luzon will be allowed to file their applications for visa extension up to 30 days after the lifting of the ECQ. © 2020 Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, LLP, Fragomen Global LLP and affiliates. All Rights Reserved. 2 Government Office Closures and Reduced Capacity ► Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) (until 12 April 2020) o 4-day work week (Monday through Thursday, from 7 am to 7 pm) implemented, covering all government employees at the DOLE central office (Intramuros) as well as regional offices, bureaus and field offices o Will also cover attached agencies, such as the Philippine Overseas Welfare Administration (POEA), the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), and the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) o Per their announcement on 23 March 2020, DOLE NCR has suspended the processing of AEP issuance and renewal until futher notice. ► Department of Justice (DOJ) (until 12 April 2020) o Suspension of work within the National Capital Region (NCR) o Covers all government employees in the DOJ main office in Manila and the city prosecution offices within the NCR. o Covers the Bureau of Immigration (BI) offices. o Skeletal workforce to be maintained on a weekly rotational basis, on a 4-day work week (Monday through Thursday, from 8 am to 4 pm) ▪ Office of the Secretary, Frontline Services, Technical Service, DOJ Action Center, Legal Staff, National Prosecution Service (NPS) and NPS Docket, Administrative Service, Records Management Section, Cashier, Financial Service, Office of the Secretary Appeals Management Office (SAMO), and the Board of Claims ▪ Other offices to have at least 1 personnel who will be responsible for receiving papers and apprising the head of office of any urgent matter ► Department of Foreign Affairs (until 14 April 2020) o Consular Offices (CO) in Metro Manila (NCR-West, NCR-East, NCR-South, NCR- Northeast, NCR-Central, NCR-North), as well as its office in ASEANA Business Park in Parañaque City, will be temporarily operating with a skeletal workforce and provide consular services only to individuals with urgent needs, such as Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) and those with medical cases. o Schedule of CO Operations: ▪ DFA CO in NCR-Central (Robinson’s Galleria) will operate Monday to Fridays, from 8 am to 2 pm ▪ All other COs in Metro Manila will operate Mondays to Fridays, from 11 am to 5 pm ▪ DFA Office of Consular Affairs in ASEANA Business Park will operate Mondays to Fridays, from 8 am to 2 pm ▪ There will be no Saturday operations nationwide beginning 21 March 2020 (until further notice) o Applicants without urgent need for consular service (including those with confirmed passport appointments) are requested to defer their visit to these COs until the community quarantine period ends o Passport applicants with confirmed appointments from 9 March 2020, and who were unable to show up during their appointment (due to Covid-19 concerns and the community quarantine) will be accommodated from 15 April to 29 May 2020, during regular office hours (except on Saturdays) o Those seeking Authentication and Civil Registration services are also advised to avail of these services after 14 April 2020 o Applicants with questions or emergencies may get contact the CO where their appointment was scheduled. Alternatively, the public may email [email protected] or call 8651 9400 for questions or inquiries. © 2020 Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, LLP, Fragomen Global LLP and affiliates. All Rights Reserved. 3 This information is valid as of the date indicated above. As the Covid-19 situation remains fluid, the rules and policies in place are subject to change without notice. Travellers should take precautionary measures and check with their travel agents prior to their flights. © 2020 Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, LLP, Fragomen Global LLP and affiliates. All Rights Reserved. 4 .