ChanRobles Virtual law Library
PHILIPPINE LAWS, STATUTES & CODES
A collection of Philippine laws, statutes and codes not included or cited in the main indices of the Chan Robles Virtual Law Library.
Home > Chan Robles Virtual Law Library > Philippine Laws, Statutes & Codes > :
Search for
www.chanrobles.com
:
EXECUTIVE ORDERS
PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST ➔ PHILIPPINE LAWS, STATUTES & CODES
EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 285 - AMENDING
THE GUIDELINES GOVERNING THE ENTRY AND STAY OF FOREIGN STUDENTS IN THE
PHILIPPINES AND THE ESTABLISHMENT OF AN INTER-AGENCY COMMITTEE ON
FOREIGN STUDENTS FOR THE PURPOSE
WHEREAS,
it is the policy of the government to continuously promote the
Philippines as a center for education in the Asia Pacific Region by (i)
encouraging foreign students to study in the country, (ii) developing
awareness of the Philippine educational system among neighboring
countries, and (iii) allowing duly accepted foreign students to avail
of the facilities of the Philippine educational system;
WHEREAS, an increasing number of foreign students has expressed the
desire to enter and study in the Philippines, and graduate from
Philippine schools, colleges and universities;
WHEREAS, the Philippine government recognizes the importance of
openness and vigilance in determining bona-fide foreign students who
wish to avail themselves of education and training in the Philippine
educational institutions and benefit from an enriched exchange of
culture, ideas and goodwill among nations in the region;
WHEREAS, studying in the Philippines will afford foreign students of
Filipino descent excellent means and opportunity to appreciate and
understand their roots and rich cultural heritage;
WHEREAS, the government policy of attraction for foreign students to
come to the country will help boost the nation’s prospects to improve
its economic environment;
WHEREAS, there is a need to liberalize the procedures and requirements
in the entry of foreign students without compromising national security
by providing a systematic method in the processing and approval of
their documents.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH EJERCITO ESTRADA, President of the Republic
of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by law, do
hereby order the following:
Section 1.
A.
Only aliens who seek temporary
stay in the Philippines solely for the purpose of taking up a course
higher than high school at a university, seminary, college, academy, or
school duly authorized to admit foreign students who are at least 18
years of age at the time of enrollment and have the means sufficient
for their education and support of study are covered under this
order.
B.
Only schools with programs
accredited by the Federation of Accrediting Agencies of the Philippines
(FAAP) or with the equivalent accreditation by the Commission on Higher
Education (CHED) and the Bureau of Immigration (BI) shall be authorized
by the Commission to admit foreign students. The CHED shall prepare, at
regular intervals, an updated list of such schools, in consultation
with the BI, taking into account their respective mandates under
existing laws and regulations. Copies of the list shall be furnished
the BI, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the National Bureau of
Investigation (NBI), the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency
(NICA) and the schools authorized to admit foreign students. All
schools so authorized shall establish a foreign student unit within
their organization. To maintain their authority, the schools, through
their foreign students unit, shall submit the following reports to the
BI, copy furnished the CHED and NICA:
a)
b)
c)
Failure
to comply with the above-required reports shall be a ground for
cancellation by the CHED of the authority to admit foreign students.
The Certificate of Eligibility
for Admission (CEA) addressed to the accepting school shall be cleared
by the CHED only in cases where restrictions exist on enrollment of
foreign students due to shortage of facilities, such as enrollment in
medicine and dentistry.
The CHED and the Department of
Education, Culture and Sports (DECS) shall provide assistance to
schools in regard to issues on comparative equivalences between foreign
educational systems and those of the Philippines.
Accreditation of advanced
credits earned in college or earned credits in Science, English and
Mathematics in the 11th and 12th year levels of secondary education in
foreign countries shall be limited only to the authorized number fixed
by the CHED. Grant of credits in excess of the authorized number of
advanced credits for degree course shall be subjected to validating
examinations to be administered by the accepting educational
institutions subject to information of the CHED.
Enrollment in any level shall
require completion of the lower particular level, e.g., an applicant
for the tertiary or collegiate level must be a graduate of high school
or its equivalent.
The individual school may launch
information campaigns to solicit and receive applications directly from
prospective foreign students. The schools, for these purposes, may seek
the assistance of the DFA and the Department of Tourism.
The processing of documents
shall be between the school and the government agency concerned.
The foreign students shall
communicate directly with the school and comply with the school’s
institutional requirements, which shall include the submission of the
following documents:
a)
b)
c)
d)
The
school, satisfied with the student’s compliance with its requirements,
shall issue a Notice of Acceptance (NOA) to the student and submit a
duplicate copy thereof of the DFA, together with a certified true copy
of the CHED’s CEA, when necessary, and the above-cited
document-requirements of Section 1-B-7 a to d. These documents shall be
handcarried to the DFA by the school’s designated liaison officer under
a cover letter on the school’s official stationery signed by the school
registrar and stamped with the school’s dry seal requesting that a
student visa be issued to the person named therein.
The DFA shall indorse the
documents to the Philippine Foreign Service Post located in the
student’s country of origin or legal residence for the issuance of the
student visa after ascertaining the student’s identity and
admissibility under existing DFA regulations.
C.
Foreign students whose
applications for student visa are approved are required to secure their
visa from the Philippine Foreign Service Post in their country of
origin or legal residence, regardless of where they are at the time of
application.
The Philippine Foreign Service
Post shall notify in writing the student of the receipt of the
documents and require him to appear in person before a Consular Officer
for interview and compliance with consular requirements. In addition to
the documents transmitted to the post of the DFA, the following
requirements shall be submitted by the student to the Consular Office:
a)
b)
c)
D.
Upon arrival in the Philippines,
the student, as part of the requirements for processing his entry,
shall report immediately to the BI Students Desk for registration and
to the accepting school and shall enroll in the school which issued
this NOA. The school shall reassess the student’s competency level and
establish his scholastic comparative equivalence, when necessary.
The school, through its foreign
student unit, shall assist the student in obtaining the necessary Alien
Certificate of Registration (ACR) and Certificate of Residence for
Temporary Students (CRTS) from the BI. The student’s authorized period
of stay shall be consistent with the length of the course of study to
which he has been accepted by a Philippine school. The initial period
is one year, then, is renewed by the BI Student Desk every semester and
for cause, may be approved for one year.
A foreign student who wishes to
pursue another degree program higher than the original course completed
shall submit all appropriate clearances/indorsements to include
Personal History Statement form duly accomplished, notarized affidavit
of support, official transcript of record, NBI clearance and NOA from
his admitting school and other concerned agencies to the BI for
approval and subsequent processing of student visa extensions.
Shifting of course or change of
school shall require prior CHED/DECS clearances.
Authorization for conversion
from tourist’s visa category to that of a student visa or issuance of
Special Study Permit is hereby restored.
The concerned school and the
Inter-Agency members shall provide assistance to the foreigners who are
already in the country under any valid visa arrangement and who
apply/petition for the conversion of their status to 9f student visa or
for the issuance of a Special Study Permit provided all relevant
prerequisites are complied with, and provided further, that safeguards
to national security concerns/interests are adequately and
appropriately undertaken by all concerned agencies.
The BI shall establish a Foreign
Student Desk which shall have the following functions:
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
E.
Within a month and a half after
the start of classes, the school, through its foreign students unit,
shall submit to the BI, copy furnished CHED, NICA and NBI, an
enrollment report on all foreign students with inclusion of names of
foreign students who have been accepted but failed to enroll, either
for the first time or for subsequent terms. Further, it shall submit a
monthly status report to the BI, as may be deemed necessary, on whoever
are missing, have transferred, dropped from the rolls and with
derogatory record. Finally, at the end of each term, the school shall
also report to the BI those foreign students who failed to take the
final examinations for the term and those who have completed their
courses. The report on promotions shall be submitted to the BI for
appropriate action on requests for student visa extension.
Non-compliance by schools to submit the reports shall be a ground for
the cancellation by the CHED of their authority to accept foreign
students.
The NICA and the NBI shall
check, whenever necessary, the activities of foreign students brought
to their attention which appear to be inimical to the security of the
State. Criminal complaints filed against foreign students shall be
referred to the NBI for investigation and appropriate action. These
agencies shall undertake steps necessary to safeguard the due process
of valid application, visa issuance and entry authorization of foreign
students in the country.
The BI shall investigate,
apprehend and prosecute, if necessary, foreign students who are not
complying with Philippine immigration laws and regulations. Violation
of immigration laws and regulations shall be a ground for the
cancellation of a student visa and deportation of the student concerned.
F.
The following shall be exempt
from the coverage of this Executive Order:
1)
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
This privilege is also extended to the principals who may wish to take advantage of the educational facilities on the country.
2)
3)
Sec. 2.
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
Sec. 3.
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
The CHED shall provide the secretariat to support the Committee.
Sec. 4.
Sec. 5.
Sec. 6.
Sec. 7.
DONE in the City of Manila,
this 4th day of September, in the year of our Lord, Two thousand.
chan
robles virtual law librar
Back to Main
Since 19.07.98.