Philippines to expel thousands of Chinese nationals amid immigration scandal
- Under fire immigration chief says almost 2,800 Chinese have overstayed visas – some due to the coronavirus – and are now being ordered to leave
- News follows scandal in which corrupt immigration officials accepted bribes worth an estimated US$826 million from Chinese to enter the Philippines
Immigration commissioner Jaime Morente on Tuesday said that since the beginning of the year, 2,736 Chinese nationals who had been granted visas upon arrival failed to leave on time, and he was now ordering them to go. The visa-upon-arrival programme – launched three years ago to lure Chinese tourists and accounts for five per cent of arrivals from China – remains suspended due to the pandemic, he said.
However, Morente did not set a deadline for their departure; nor did he explain how his understaffed bureau would implement the order.
The news comes just a day after the Ombudsman suspended 44 immigration officials accused of taking bribes in return for helping Chinese enter the country, and follows a recent admission by the bureau that relaxed procedures have let in four million Chinese since 2017.