Today is October 15th, the official deadline for the voluntary downgrade of POGO work visas. With the arrival of the 15th, the situation faced by practitioners will change according to their visa status.

Here is a simple list of various situations, everyone can check against their own situation to understand their circumstances. If there are any deficiencies or errors, please kindly point them out, thank you for your understanding!

For those with a tourist visa and no POGO record:

If you hold a tourist visa and have no POGO record, you are generally not greatly affected, except that if you stay in the Philippines for more than a year at a time, the renewal process might encounter some difficulties. Recently, a friend encountered problems when trying to renew their visa, as the immigration office required them to register at the headquarters for staying over a year. However, as long as you can provide a reasonable explanation, it will not affect the renewal, because there are currently no policy adjustments regarding tourist visas, although the officials have indeed become slightly stricter in their operations.

For those with a tourist visa but with a POGO record:

For those with a tourist visa and a POGO record, there are two scenarios:

Older record: If your POGO record is from two or three years ago, it is generally difficult for the immigration to find (since most records were on paper at that time), and you can be treated as having a tourist visa during renewal.

Recent record: If your POGO record is within the past year, it is usually detectable by the immigration. Especially for those with an IGL visa and its AEP, you will be informed of the existence of a POGO history during renewal, and must leave within the current visa (white visa) validity period, as you cannot renew any visa.

For those currently holding a POGO/IGL visa and have completed the downgrade:

Friends holding a POGO/IGL visa can be divided into two situations: leaving on time and not leaving on time.

Leaving on time: Completing the downgrade grants a 2-month tourist visa, and leaving by December 31st will involve no disputes, allowing you to wait for the situation to develop and choose an appropriate time to consider re-entering the Philippines.

Not leaving on time: If you do not leave by December 31st and the immigration finds a POGO/IGL record, you will be blacklisted by the immigration as an illegal stay, and unless caught, you can only consider leaving while blacklisted. There are also concerns expressed by netizens about the greater risks of being blacklisted, such as the list possibly being submitted to the embassy, as joint enforcement has become relatively mature.

For those holding a POGO/IGL visa but have not downgraded:

After the 15th, such visas will be considered invalid by the immigration, and you may be blacklisted, facing fines if you try to leave the country, and staying in the Philippines will be considered an illegal stay. If you do not leave by December 31st, you will be blacklisted, facing deportation and future bans from entering the Philippines.

For those holding a non-POGO/IGL work visa but engaged in related work:

For those holding a non-POGO/IGL work visa but engaged in related work, it is somewhat safer. However, if it was through the previous "fast work visa" channel, be cautious as the company might become "shell" and get revoked. A comprehensive ban on gambling is likely to be enacted before June 2025, targeting those whose visa procedures are legal but still engage in BC work.

What will the Philippines be like after the 15th?

By the end of the year, the situation in the Philippines is expected to continue as it is now, continuing raids, discussing crime issues, targeting old Duterte, and continuing purges!

When the comprehensive ban on gambling is passed, anyone engaged in government-prohibited gambling activities will be sanctioned, regardless of visa status.

Currently, some companies have started seeking other licenses to retain some personnel in the Philippines and maintain core businesses. But this strategy is only temporary, and ultimately, it depends on which way the wind blows in the Philippines.

According to PASA headlines, there are still 100 companies being monitored by the government that have not left, and the government is also aware that more and more companies are starting to move to more remote areas far from the capital, or simply dispersing employees to operate independently, believing that the subsequent raid actions will become more intense until the "clearance target" is fully achieved, and the Philippine gambling industry will then welcome a new atmosphere!