The Philippine Consulate in Dubai has warned visiting Filipinos to the United Arab Emirates using fake or forged documents in search of jobs while declaring as tourists.
Officials at the consulate said a list of 25 agencies and representatives may have provided fake papers to sponsor visas for family and other visitors has been forwarded to Dubai Police for investigation.
The advisory against traveling using ‘spurious papers’ comes as several hundred passengers have been disallowed from traveling at airports in Mactan-Cebu, Ninoy Aquino and Clark International airports.
Related: How to Prevent Getting Offloaded From Your Travel at NAIA
In 2015 alone, a total of 1,921 passengers were endorsed for secondary screening at the major international airport terminals. Most of them were offloaded after further verification of their Affidavits of Support and Guarantees document and Official Receipts (ORs).
The figure is significantly higher than 780 passengers who were screened and found to be in possession of spurious documents by the Bureau of Immigration, Consulate officials said.
An Affidavits of Support and Guarantee is a document endorsed by a resident of UAE, claiming that he or she will support the visiting Filipino by providing accommodation and other support and ensure that the visitor will return to the home country before the expiry of the tourist visa.
The endorser also assures the authorities that s/he will ensure that the visiting Filipino does not indulge in any criminal activities.