The Philippine Bureau of Immigration has recently intensified its enforcement of visa compliance for foreign employees in the Bonifacio Global City (BGC) area. During an inspection targeting a Chinese-funded telecommunications company, enforcement officers found that 39 Chinese employees holding work visas were working at locations different from those registered on their visas, and subsequently took these employees away for investigation.
According to Article 27 of the Philippine Immigration Act, foreign employees must work at the address specified on their work visas. If a change of work location is needed, it must be filed with the immigration office 30 days in advance. Violations may result in fines, detention, or even deportation. The fine for a first violation ranges from 50,000 to 500,000 pesos, and repeated violations may lead to visa revocation and blacklisting.
Recently, the Bureau of Immigration and the National Bureau of Investigation have conducted a series of inspections in the BGC area. Records show that on May 29, the Immigration Bureau inspected the headquarters of a telecommunications company; on July 15, the tax department jointly inspected a cross-border e-commerce company; and on August 27, another technology company was also inspected. These actions mainly targeted compliance issues with foreign employees' work visas.
The employees taken away were sent to temporary detention facilities to await further processing. It is understood that these facilities are currently overcrowded and living conditions are limited. Reports indicate that some detained foreign nationals have required medical assistance due to health reasons this year.
These enforcement actions have had a certain impact on the local business environment. The vacancy rate of office buildings in the BGC area has risen, and some companies have begun to reassess the visa compliance status of their foreign employees. Meanwhile, the Immigration Bureau is working on establishing a more comprehensive monitoring system to improve enforcement efficiency.
In a public statement, immigration officials emphasized that compliance inspections will continue in areas with high concentrations of foreign employees such as Makati and Alabang. They remind all businesses in the Philippines to ensure that their foreign employees' visas and work addresses comply with legal requirements to avoid legal risks.
