Philippines changes visa rules for Chinese travellers ahead of Lunar New Year after spike in crime blamed on mainlanders

The Philippines has scrapped a special six-month visa for Chinese travellers ahead of the Lunar New Year celebrations in a bid to clamp down on a crime wave blamed on visitors from the mainland.

The decision, which comes as millions of Chinese prepare to travel in what is often termed the “world’s biggest migration”, comes amid a spike in crime that President Rodrigo Duterte last week blamed on the rise of offshore gambling operators employing Chinese nationals. In one widely reported incident this weekend, four Chinese nationals were arrested and jailed on suspicion of trying to abduct an 18-year-old Filipino woman in Makati City.

Rather than the six-month “Temporary Visitor-Visa Upon Arrival”, which could be converted into a work visa, Chinese nationals will now be eligible for a non-extendable 30-day visa that cannot be converted.

Duterte last week said legal and illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) were to blame for a sudden rise in crime. The industry in the Philippines has grown mostly to cater to clients in mainland China, where gambling is illegal, and most Pogo employees are migrant workers from China.