OFWs oppose proposed immigration fee
Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are unhappy with the planned P480 immigration fee that the Bureau of Immigration (BI) may charge as early as the latter part of 2026.
Archive note: the original publication date could not be verified. March 14, 2021 is an assigned catalogue date for this record.
Editorial note: This archive item reproduces or summarizes third-party material supplied to the newsroom. Allegations remain attributed to the speakers or outlets identified and should not be read as independent judicial findings by this publication.
Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are unhappy with the planned P480 immigration fee that the Bureau of Immigration (BI) may charge as early as the latter part of 2026.
This is the sentiment I gathered by just scrolling through the comments and posts in OFW groups on social media.
It’s not surprising. OFWs and frequent travelers, after all, will be the most affected if the BI pushes through with its new border security system.
The issue concerns the BI’s Aviation and Immigration Security Services (CAISS) Project, a tighter security infrastructure which the BI, together with private partner Securiport, plans to put in place locally’s airports.
The new system promises enhanced border security but would charge travelers a user fee of $4 or P240 per passenger for a one-way international trip. This translates to $8 or P480 per passenger for a round-trip journey.
For travelers departing from the Philippines, this would mean additional expenses, as it would be on top of the travel tax.
But this is especially burdensome for OFWs as they are the ones who frequently travel to and from the Philippines.
“It’s so boring to go home to this. That’s the only thing we have and now they will take more from us,” said another.
“That feeling that you are excited to go back to your own country but because of the many things to pay for and the high cost of everything, it seems you prefer to live overseas.”
There are many more. And the concerns are real.
As I discussed in my piece last Sunday, the $8 fee would already translate to roughly P14 billion in its first year of operations alone (based on 29 million international travellers in 2025).
This is already more than enough to cover the projected total project cost of P10.7 billion.
“Investment recovery is through a user fee of $4 per international traveler, built into airline ticket costs. The concession period is 20 years from commercial operations, after which the assets are transferred to the government,” the BI said in its document on the project.
Clearly, the $4 user fee is too high.
The BI has justified the project by stressing the need for modernization.
“The CAISS is a significant upgrade to the Bureau’s border management capabilities in many years. It combines advanced biometric systems and physical security infrastructure under a single integrated platform, all operated by Bureau personnel within government-controlled networks and maintained throughout the contract life by the private partner.”
The project is based on an unsolicited proposal that Securiport submitted through the PPP Center of the Philippines in May 2023. The Department of Justice, the designated approving body under Republic Act 11966 or the PPP Code, approved the project on Dec. 2, 2025.
The implementation date was not confirmed in the available documents. Earlier reporting indicated that the Bureau of Immigration had hoped to issue a notice of award in November, subject to procurement review.
The proposal also invites scrutiny of Securiport’s track record, including its past border-security projects.
Its LinkedIn profile states that the US-based company is a global leader in intelligent immigration controls and civil aviation security solutions. It was also awarded recognition in 2023 by Security Today Magazine for the company’s advanced passenger information system product, which won under the Behavior Analytics and Security & Risk Intelligence categories.
By contrast, it has also faced regional controversies and contract disputes.
In several African countries, the introduction of mandatory passenger fees under Securiport-linked agreements drew public objections.
For instance, here is a post by Malagen, an investigative journalism magazine in The Gambia, West Africa, in 2022.
The magazine exposed terms of the agreement the government signed with Securiport, leading to the introduction of a $20 security levy at the airport.
“For every $20 airport levy collected, Securiport pockets $10. The government and the Gambia Civil Aviation Authority get $5 each. However, the company had single-handedly opened a bank account where levies collected are deposited, contrary to the terms of the contract, which requires a joint cash-collection bank account,” Malagen said.
The story also revealed that a $20 (now $25) security levy at the airport caused the state a potential financial loss of at least D274 million due to procurement breaches, the exemption of diplomatic passport holders and other factors.
The same magazine reported in 2023 that The Gambia’s National Audit Office found that key government officers, including diplomatic passport holders, were exempt from paying an airport security fee in contravention of the law.
Clearly, many questions surround this BI proposal. Filipino travelers including OFWs hope to get answers.
Email: eyesgonzales@gmail.com . Follow her on X @eyesgonzales . Column archives at EyesWideOpen on FB.