BI opens doors on Saturdays to accommodate I-Card rush

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) will be open for business on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. until August to accommodate the registration for I-Cards in anticipation of the deadline for registration on Aug. 14.

Earlier, Immigration Commission Alipio Fernandez Jr. said those who fail to secure their I-Cards and make legal their stay in the country before the bureau’s deadline would face deportation for being undocumented aliens.

The BI chief revealed over 61,000 aliens in the country have filed their application for the card that replaces the Alien Certificate of Registration (ACR) identity card. He said 35,000 foreigners have claimed their I-Cards while some 20,000 have yet to do so.

The BI launched the I-Card project last year in line with the bureau’s thrust to make its transactions "paperless" and provide added services and convenience to foreigners staying in the country.

Fernandez said yesterday the BI has rationalized the process for registration since applicants’ documentary requirements are evaluated and recommended for approval on the spot by assigned registration officers.

This has reportedly drastically reduced the processing time for issuance of I-cards for applicants who register.

He added that an applicant who is due to leave the country can secure an I-Card within the same day provided that a photocopy of the plane ticket is attached to the I-Card application.

The BI is actively addressing the issue of backlogs in the processing of I-Card applications.

Danilo Almeda, chief of the Alien Registration Division (ARD), reported that his unit is targeting a zero backlog in processing of I-Card applications by the end of August.

"Applicants will be pleasantly surprised to find highly innovative measures such as a Client Service Area, located at the ARD offices at the third floor of the Equitable Bank Building. The concept of a customer lounge area, where problems and concerns of aliens are heard and directly acted upon by registration officers, is a first of its kind at the BI," he said.

Likewise, two service lanes for I-Card holders have been set up at the ground floor of the Equitable Bank Building.

I-Card holders can transact a variety of immigration processes such as change of status, re-entry permit, annual reports and I-Card renewal within minutes through automated processes, using the smart chip-based I-Cards.

Finally, Almeda advised all ACR I-Card applicants to update their annual report payments and amendments for a change in name, civil status or address in order to facilitate processing and approval.

Fernandez added that an applicant who is due to leave the country can secure his I-Card within the same day provided that a photocopy of the plane ticket is attached to the I-Card application. — With Edu Punay