22/12/2022
From an Immigration Officer shared in a travel group
Tips to avoid being offloaded specially to first time travelers! ✈
MUST READ!
👇👇👇
Been with the Bureau for a decade now, been assigned to different ports as well.
Disclaimer: Everything you will read in this post are all about MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCES sa counter. You’re free to compare me from IOs you have encountered, but i will not engage in negative comments or bashing.☺️
Also, you cannot use this post as basis na ma clear kayo sa Immig Counters because EVERYTHING WILL BE BASED ON THE TOTALITY OF CIRCUMSTANCE ON THE DAY OF YOUR TRAVEL.
Also sa mga IOs na makakabasa neto, bahala na kayo to check on yourselves. This is how i perform my job. You’re welcome to make this a big deal, raise your eyebrows, shrug or follow some of my procedures. hahaha whichever.
So here comes nothing!
FIRST TIME TRAVELERS:
1.) Dress COMFORTABLY and APPROPRIATELY.
Why? Because YES, YOUR ATTIRE matters. JUDGEMENTAL TALAGA KAMI, GUYS. (Hindi ko naman nilalahat🤣)
Comfortably= yung parang mag chichill ka Lng with friends (Shirt, Jeans, sneakers, perhaps a Jacket)
bsta hindi yung prang rarampa ka sa stage or mag didinner with Heart E.
Avoid heels, pls. Nakakapagod tumakbo sa airport especially pag final call na. A Legit or frequent traveller knows this kaya mostly, nka flats yan cla or sneakers.
APPRORIATELY means, nka depende to sa COUNTRY OF DESTINATION Mo.
Example, Singapore yung ticket mo, pero destination mo talaga is Dubai and ayaw mong malaman to ni IO. Pero kasi, December alis mo, winter sa dubai, mej malamig, nka jacket ka na may furfur. char. Eh hndi namin malamig sa Singapore. So ma o-offload ka just because of the jacket?😭
diba?
Do the math.
Pro Tip: Pag 1st time to travel ABROAD, book like a 3D2N trip muna then bring a 10-15kg of clothes. Iwasan muna ang change outfit na mga 100 times.😑 Bcs the heavier your luggage is, the more suspish you become. The shorter your travel dates, the more legit you look as a tourist.
2.) If traveling alone, sa queue pa Lng, take slow and paced breaths. Calm down, stop checking your phone every minute. Why? Kasi kaming mga officers, even though we conduct inspections in an enclosed counters, we are particular of the demeanor ng mga na sa pila namin. We profile you kahit na sa queue ka pa Lng. Everything, from your shoes, to your bags up to how you behave yourself.
We don’t do this to Outbound Filipinos alone, WE ALSO DO THE SAME STRATEGY SA MGA FOREIGNERS coming in. Also, if you keep on checking your phone, I have this presumption na may kausap ka for instructions. Usually kasi, mga victims ng human trafficking, may kausap yan, coaching them every step of the way hanggang makalusot sa counter. If i see you fidgeting with your phone, i already have a prejudice towards you. Refer kita for secondary inspection. Also, USING OF ELECTRONIC DEVICES IS PROHIBITED SA IMMIGRATION AREA.
If traveling with a group, QUEUE properly. wag mag chismis sa pila or talk too loud because you are contributing to the noise pollution around you. And yung strangers na kasabay nyo sa pila, naiingayan din sa inyo. hahaha
3.) DO NOT, I SAID, DO NOT PLACE YOUR PRINTED DOCS SA PLASTIC OR BROWN ENVELOP TAPOS HAHAWAKAN NYO. No. please don’t.
PUT ALL YOUR DOCUMENTS INSIDE YOUR BAG.
Hindi kayo mag aapply ng work, i personally dont want to see a LEGIT TOURIST na may hawak na envelop. huhu
That envelop for me is already a screaming RED FLAG.
And pag may need ka e-abot sa officer, remove it from ANY CONCEALED ENVELOP. Kasi baka may pera ka na naiwan sa loob and the officer might feel insulted with it, baka akalain bribe money.🤭
4.) While nka pila, Just hold your passport, Remove mo yung passport jacket ksi it wont fit in our scanners. And may mga nahuhulog from your jacket inserts tapos kasalanan pa namin pag nawala.NKKLK🤣
Anyway, hold your passports, insert your DEPARTURE CARD and your Boarding pass in any page of your passport, kng may visa ka, dun mo e-insert na page. At yan lng ang ibigay mo pag dating mo sa counter ni IO. Nothing more, Nothing less.
Pag may hinanap sayo, dat’s the time you present your printed docs or IDs. Pag hindi, DO NOT PROACTIVELY PRESENT.
5.) Re: PHONE CHECK
We are LEGALLY ARMED AND PROTECTED to do this. Your rights to privacy is suspended sa borders, whether outbound or inbound.
Personally for me, hanggang convo and pictures lang ako. and i don’t do the scrolling and never ko hinahawak ang phone. I would ask the passenger to do the scrolling, photo gallery, convo. I don’t check bank accounts, i am a bit uncomfortable with the thot of checkin people’s money. And TBH, wala akong kakilala or nakasabay na officer on my shift that checks ONLINE bank accounts. Printed, yes meron, kasi embassies also ask for bank statements, if we apply for visas.
And those saying na may printed copies naman bakit mag checheck pa ng email.
Well, you wouldnt believe what people can fraudulently do just to present COEs. Or fabricate Company IDs pra mapaniwala kami na employed siya dito.
6.) For Males SPECIFICALLY.
Disclaimer: This is my personal discretion.
Let’s say, your profile is A FAMILY MAN, meaning, you have a wife and kids here in PH, you’re traveling alone for a holiday. Or to just visit a family member abroad, you think maniniwala kami? Mag eenjoy ka kaya without your family with you?🥺
Our initial judgement will be, you will work there. AND THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT.
Pro tip: When the officer asks you the reason for travel, and kung totoo naman talaga dat you have a relative abroad within 4th degree, you can say that you will visit the relative and say “At kung may mahanap na trabaho po dun, baka may chance po na mag ta-trabaho dun”
I am not saying this will guarantee you can get thru that counter, but I PERSONALLY APPRECIATE AN HONEST answer and i will gladly stamp your passport knowing you are doing what it takes for your family. Hindi namin kami heartless, guys.❤️
P.S
I only apply this to MALE travelers but NEVER TO FEMALES.
Why? Because women and children, as study shows, are more prone to human trafficking incidents. That’s reality. This is not discrimination.
And I stand firm on this kasi hindi ko kinaya when i encountered an abused filipina who was sent home from Saudi. hindi sya makausap ng matino as in sobrang traumatic nangyari sa kanya. She pretended to be a TOURIST bound for HK but jumped to KSA, instead.
For Previously Offloaded:
1.) Bring AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE yung hiningi ng IO sayo when you were offloaded.
Don’t simply base your experience with someone else’s kasi hndi talaga kayo 100% the same situation.
Even sa akin, minsan, i would vouch for a friend na aalis ng bansa, may times na napapayagan, meron ding times na hindi talaga. And halos the same lng naman ang situation, it so happened na BY THE BOOK c IO, meaning kung ano yung RULES, the officer sticks and adheres to it kasi yun naman talaga ang dapat. May times Lng na kagaya ko na mejo relaxed yung approach sa rules, maybe it goes with age or tagal sa work. Depende.
But you know, everything happens for a reason.
For Freelancers:
I wouldn’t mind if you don’t have your ITR, what’s important are your
✔️Ticket
✔️Hotel booking
✔️COE with Compensation
✔️Simple Itinerary, yung gawa mo
For Family Traveling together:
IMMEDIATE FAMILY ONLY
For example: Father, Mother, Kids, you may Queue in ONE counter. Isama mo na lng din or paunahin mo na yung Grandparents then you stand behind them.
Yung kapatid mo na may sariling, pamilya, hayaan mong mag queue din separately. Pero kng mag-isa Lng sya, den by all means, isabay mo.
Hold all passports together tas before mo ibagay sa officer, ask mo muna kung okay Lng na buong angkan nyo ang magpapa clear sa kanya.
We’re usually not that strict pag family.
Pro tip: If previously offloaded ka, malaki ang possibility na makakaalis ka if kasama mo family mo. Of course, you’ll be interviewed again just so may mailagay kmi sa system to justify your travel, pero 90%, goods ka na.
Kaya, ISAMA ANG BUONG PAMILYA PRA MASAYA!
I have seen a comment pala na NONSENSE dw ang question ni IO na
“Bakit doon ang punta mo?” (referring to the country of destination.)
This is answerable by either, you have family there, you’re meeting a friend, you wanted to see a spot you’ve seen in a movie, you wanted to try something na sikat dun sa country. Diba? Possibilities are endless.
So dont be sarcastic and say on your mind na “EH DUN GUSTO KO EH, PAKIALAM MO BA.”
We would ask this to gauge your knowledge of the place you’re supposed to visit.
Paano pala kung Singapore yung ticket mo tapos gusto mo mag Disney Land? eh Universal Studios lng meron cla dun. Nasa HK ung DL.😑
If may friend ka na IO, if ka-close mo talaga, message mo na before your flight (Hindi kami manghihingi ng pasalubong, pramisssss😂) at kung legit nman tlaga na mag to-tour ka Lng.. wag na wag ka mag mi-message asking for help pag na offload ka na KASI YUNG RECORD MO NASA SYSTEM NA, HASSLE makipag usap just to clear your RECORDS, guys.
Hindi lahat ng nasa airport ay taga Bureau of Immigration, so if you have bad experience with other employees, wag nyo naman kami e-blame just because kami yung last na nakausap nyo.😅🥹
BE COURTEOUS and RESPECTFUL at all times. We appreciate those mababait na passengers and well-mannered kasi marami talaga ang rude and feeling entitled. well, it goes both ways din nman. Meron din mga IOs na ganto.🤭🙈
A friendly reminder from SG LAH TRAVEL SERVICES
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