The Bureau of Immigration (BI) of the Philippines announced in a press conference on September 28 that approximately 3,000 foreign employees of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) who had their visas downgraded have left the Philippines.
During a meeting of the "Task Force on the Closure of Online Gaming Operations," the head of the immigration bureau, Jaime Morente, reported that as of September 24, a total of 5,955 visas had been downgraded.
About 55% of these individuals have already left the Philippines.
This task force is composed of the Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation, the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission, and the Bureau of Immigration.
Representatives from the Philippine National Police and the National Bureau of Investigation also attended the meeting.
Additionally, it was reported that the Bureau of Immigration is planning to "accelerate" the departure applications of foreign workers employed by POGO license holders (IGL).
Immigration officer Jaime Morente noted in a statement on September 28: "During the meeting, members agreed to set up dedicated service days to downgrade visas and issue exit permits for online gaming companies."
A representative from the Department of Labor will also retrieve the "foreign employment permits returned by workers in the online gaming industry."
The Bureau of Immigration stated: "Those who fail to apply before the aforementioned date will be ordered to leave our country within 59 days. If these foreign workers fail to leave the Philippines by December 31, the Bureau of Immigration will initiate deportation proceedings against them."
The Bureau of Immigration has processed downgrades for 5,955 individuals, and those who refuse to leave by 2025 will be "arrested, deported, and blacklisted from entering the Philippines."
