By: Bernadette Carreon
The National Security and Coordinating Office (NSCO) cracked down on visa violations and illegal operations during a six-month enforcement period, according to a feedback report in June.
In its report, NSCO completed a comprehensive six-month immigration enforcement operation that resulted in over 70 deportations and the denial of nearly 200 visa and work permit applications.
The heightened scrutiny of visa applications was mandated by the Presidential Directive No. 24-65, titled “Strengthening Immigration Controls Related to Visas and Work Permits.” This directive granted the National Security Coordinator 90 days to conduct thorough vetting of all visa and labor-related applications. The vetting process that covered six months has shown a denial rate reaching nearly 20% for standard visa applications and over 40% for work permits and foreign investment applications.
NSCO in the report said that visa extension denials resulted from document fraud, misinformation, past violations, and connections to inactive or criminal enterprises.
NSCO conducted an extensive review of immigration applications, work permits, and foreign investment requests while simultaneously targeting illegal operations across the country, the report stated.
During the review period, NSCO processed 811 total applications with significant denial rates. For visa applications, 701 reviewed, with 139 denied, translating to a 19.8% denial rate. For non-resident worker applications: 103 reviewed, with 45 denied, that is a 43.7% denial rate.
The report also added that for Foreign Investment Board applications, seven were reviewed, with 3 denied (42.9% denial rate).
Non-resident workers’ applications are denied for fake documents, lack of required job skills, previous visa violations, links to inactive or criminal businesses, and misrepresenting tourist visas for work purposes, according to the report.