Visa consultancy firm vows first rate service for clientele

CEBU, Philippines - Earning numerous awards and recognition from time to time, an immigration and visa consultancy firm assured that it will consistently level up its commitment on first-class customer service and improved efficiency for its growing clientele.

Ultimate Visa Corporation had been acknowledged as the leading visa and immigration consultancy in the Philippines by various award-giving bodies and just last February 17, it had received its first award for 2013.

The growing company was awarded with the 2013 Seal of Excellence Awardee as Best Visa Assistance Company during the 33rd People’s Choice and Seal of Excellence Awards Philippines held last February 17 at AFP Theater, Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.

This was in recognition of excellence in consumer corporate, product features and quality benefitting the general public and consumers.

Chief Executive Officer Janet Altamarino said in an interview with The Freeman that being a stable and credible company for 5 years in the industry, having in-house lawyers, conducting continued research to keep up with the demand of clients, and serving as the only agency that caters to all visas to other countries have brought Ultimate Visa Corporation to stay on top of the game.

It was in January 2008 when Altamarino, together with her business partner Atty. John Ungab, established the company dedicated to customer service and proficiency through its knowledge in all aspects of visa and immigration laws.

She said that about 50 to 60 percent of the market share in the Philippines is accounted by Ultimate Visa Corporation, making it as one of the leading companies in the country that handle visa and immigration processes for Filipinos and foreigners worldwide.

Ultimate Visa Corporation provides processing assistance, consultancy services and free assessment for tourist, fiancé, spousal, student, and immigration visas to Australia, USA, UK, Canada, New Zealand, Germany, Norway, Sweden and other European and Asian countries.

Last year, it started processing Jobseeker’s Visa to Norway and it also caters to visas of foreigners who want to work and live here in the Philippines.

Altamarino cited that they do not just assist Filipinos going to other countries in processing their visas but also attend to the needs of other nationalities such as Australians, Canadians, Americans, and British nationals.

She added that there are also increasing Asian clients from Bangladesh, India, China, and Iran.

She noted that offshore clients account 40 percent of the market profile served by Ultimate Visa Corporation and has increased to ten percent in 2012.

She said that nowadays, people need further professional help in terms of visa application and processing especially for tourist, student and business travels abroad.

She cited that there is a budding market for student visas with the increased number of middle-class Filipino parents who can already afford to bring their children abroad to study and be globally competitive.

Altamarino also said that there is a growing number of Filipinos visiting and residing outside the country for business trips and for migration purposes.

“Filipinos are everywhere especially with the “helping system” wherein Filipinos abroad invite their families and relatives in the Philippines to migrate and live where they are currently staying at,” she stated.

Due to the popularity of social networking sites such as Facebook, she added that Filipinos who are now more open-minded than before have found romantic relationships with foreigners in different countries.

She cited that tourist visas accounted the biggest chunk of visas processed by Ultimate Visa Corporation at 50% followed by fiancé and spousal visas at 25%.

The growing clientele prompted the company to create a new department for research, training and development that is responsible for consistent research and enhanced knowledge in the changing visa requirements and evolving needs of applicants in other countries.

“The management and staff are trained and updated with the latest developments of immigration and visa laws. We educate them with the changes and conduct trainings thrice a week,” Altamarino said.

To date, there are 15 visa documentation executives in the said department.

At present, the company has 60 employees in its six offices in Cebu and Manila. (FREEMAN)