Immigration bureau’s job visa creates 600 jobs in Davao City

06/14/2009

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has created more than 600 new jobs for the residents of Davao City when it awarded the Special Visa for Employment Generation (SVEG) to 47 foreign investors and officials of companies based in the city.

During the presentation of SVEG certificates to the residents, Immigration Commissioner Marcelino Libanan said it is the agency’s fitting tribute to Filipino workers in time for the celebration of the Independence Day.

Libanan, together with House Speaker and Davao City Rep. Prospero Nograles and other BI officials from its main office in Manila, led the launching of the SVEG program in Apo View Hotel, Davao City last Thursday.

SVEG provides indefinite stay to a foreign employer who provides full-time jobs to at least 10 Filipino workers in legitimate and sustainable business in the Philippines. The new job-generating visa aims to create at least 100,000 jobs in its first year alone.

Libanan hoped that with SVEG, Filipinos will no longer look for jobs overseas as the bureau is bent on helping them find an opportunity right in their homes while living with their loved ones.

Seventeen companies based in the city were the latest recipients of the SVEG since it was launched this year by President Arroyo through an executive order. As of date, almost 21,000 new jobs were given to Filipino workers

Nograles, who is the guest of honor and speaker during the launching that was also attended by the diplomatic corps, government officials, business leaders and media practitioners, acknowledged the BI’s contribution to the job employment program of the government.

He said the job visa being implemented by the bureau is timely in the face of global economic crisis as this will give the country an advantage in terms of encouraging foreign investments.

Nograles hailed the reforms being implemented by Libanan in the bureau, foremost of which is the implementation of Visa Issuance Made Simple (VIMS).

Nograles noted the BI was ranked No. 3 on the list of 100 government agencies in fighting graft and corruption.

The VIMS which reduced the processing time for visa applications by an average of 58 percent was also launched in Davao City Thursday.

The Speaker said as the Speaker of the House of Representatives, he will personally rally his colleagues to fast-track the approval of the pending Immigration bill that will replace the obsolete and outmoded Philippine Immigration Act of 1949. Conrado Ching

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