(Eagle News) — The Bureau of Immigration has warned foreign students against fixers offering assistance on student visa processing.
The bureau issued the warning following reports of four cases of visa tampering in June.
According to bureau chief Jaime Morente, one case involved an Indian national who transacted with a certain “Rudyard” online for the processing of his and his two cousins’ application.
Bureau Student Visa Section Chief Anthony Cabrera said the fake visa was discovered after the student went to the bureau’s Student Visa Section (SVS) in Quezon City to claim his Alien Certificate of Registration Identity Card (ACR i-Card).
After assessment, though, bureau officers found the student had no application on record, discovered that his visa had long been expired, and that his passport has been marked with counterfeit visa extension stamps.
The bureau said the fixer has since been arrested following a complaint by one of the students.
A second case involved another Indian student, who allegedly asked a friend to process his student visa extension.
The bureau said his passport was later found to have been marked with a fake stamp.
“It is unbelievable that scam cases continue to rise even during the pandemic. Only their school’s authorized representative may transact in behalf of foreign students,” Morente said.
“They should refrain from engaging the services of these so-called fixers, many of which they just met online, as these would only bring problems to them,” he added.