The Bureau of Immigration (BI) said foreigners registered will soon be able to enter and exit the country with more ease with the upcoming integration of the agency’s automated travel control system at the ports with its database of issued alien certification of registration identity cards (ACR I-Cards).
BI commissioner Jaime Morente announced that the project will soon be pilot-tested at the NAIA 3 terminal before its implementation in all the major international airports and seaports of the country.
Morente said that under the new system, details of aliens’ ACR I-Cards will be integrated into the Bureau’s Border Control Information System (BCIS), which is the software used by immigration officers at the airports, in processing all arriving and departing international passengers.
ACR I-Cards are issued to BI-registered foreigners who are holders of immigrant and non-immigrant visas issued by the agency.
“With this project, the time our officers at the airports consume in processing foreign passengers will be shortened and these passengers will be assured of a hassle-free experience when traveling in and out of the country,” Morente said.
The BI chief said the agency is eyeing the project’s full implementation at the NAIA and the other international airports this September.
Jose Carlitos Licas, BI Alien Registration Division chief, said that when operational, the project will enable immigration officers in the ports to immediately and electronically gain access to information about the ACR I-Card of a foreign passenger who is being processed for immigration clearance.
“The immigration officer will be able to immediately ascertain the immigration status of the passengers, and if the latter’s ACR I-Card is still valid, and if he has a valid emigration clearance certificate (ECC) and re-entry permit (RP) or special return certificate (SRC),” Licas said.
He added that the corresponding official receipt numbers of the fees paid for these travel documents can also be viewed in the system.
“This is just one of the technological advancements that we are pushing for to improve the Bureau,” said Morente. “We are expecting more technological improvements until next year, to make our systems faster and more efficient,” he added.
