DFA expecting deporation of 200 undocumented Pinoy workers in Japan
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is expecting the deportation of at least 200 more undocumented Filipino workers in Japan but they are unsure when the process would actually start.
In an interview with “News to Go” anchor Kara David on Thursday, DFA spokesman Raul Hernandez said the undocumented Filipino workers are currently staying in Japanese immigration centers.
“Ngayong taon lang naimplement na kahit hindi ka pumayag, idedeport yung mga undocumented doon sa Japan. So over time nag accumulate yung mga Filipinos na nandoon sa Japanese immigration centers to over 200,” Hernandez explained.
Hernandez said the DFA has not yet been informed when the next deportations will happen.
He urged Filipinos abroad to abide by the immigration rules in other countries.
“Importante galing palang dito dapat malaman ng ating mga kababayan pag gusto nila magtrabaho sa ibang lugar kailangan maayos yung kanilang mga papeles,” Hernandez said.
"Kung tapos na yung kanilang kontrata or yung pagbibisita doon sa ibang bansa kailangan umalis na kung halimbawa hindi ito [visa] ma-extend or ma-renew,” he added.
Before 2013, the deportation depended greatly on the consent of the deportee.
Foreign nationals who violate provisions of Japan’s Immigration Control Act undergo deportation procedures and those who refuse to consent to deportation are detained in immigration centers.
Filipinos are the 3rd largest immigration violators in Japan after South Koreans and Chinese, Hernandez said.
Deportation of 75 Pinoys from Japan
On Saturday, 75 undocumented Filipinos were deported from Japan, consisting of 54 men, 13 women, and eight children.
Before Saturday's deportation, there were over 200 Filipinos in Japan immigration centers, constituting the highest number of foreign nationals in detention.
Speculations about OFWS being "targeted" were triggered by the deportation of the 75 undocumented Filipinos from Japan and the repatriation of close to 900 overseas Filipino workers from Saudi Arabia this year.
However, the DFA on Wednesday belied reports that simultaneous crackdowns against undocumented workers in various countries targeted Filipinos, specifically.
In a text message to GMA News Online, Hernandez said other countries “are merely undertaking routine immigration law enforcement activities” and the deportation and repatriation of undocumented foreigners are not focused on Filipinos alone.
Hernandez explained that Filipinos are not the only ones being deported but other nationalities as well.
Relaxed visa requirements
The deportation comes at a time when Japan relaxed its visa requirements for Filipinos.
Starting July 1, Filipinos planning to go to Japan for a short stay can already apply for multiple entry visas, based on a recent order that also relaxed Japanese visa rules for other Asian countries.
The development is part of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-Japan Friendship and Cooperation celebrations, a statement dated Tuesday from Japan's Ministry of Foreign of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said.
Filipino visitors to Japan who will apply for the multiple entry visas will be able to stay in Japan for up to 15 days. The visas will be valid for three years.
Visa applicants must fulfill "certain conditions," according to the statement, but have yet to specify the other details of application.
An ordinary Machine-Readable Passport (MRP) that meets International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards or an ordinary IC passport is also required. — Andrei Medina, VVP, GMA News
In an interview with “News to Go” anchor Kara David on Thursday, DFA spokesman Raul Hernandez said the undocumented Filipino workers are currently staying in Japanese immigration centers.
“Ngayong taon lang naimplement na kahit hindi ka pumayag, idedeport yung mga undocumented doon sa Japan. So over time nag accumulate yung mga Filipinos na nandoon sa Japanese immigration centers to over 200,” Hernandez explained.
Hernandez said the DFA has not yet been informed when the next deportations will happen.
He urged Filipinos abroad to abide by the immigration rules in other countries.
“Importante galing palang dito dapat malaman ng ating mga kababayan pag gusto nila magtrabaho sa ibang lugar kailangan maayos yung kanilang mga papeles,” Hernandez said.
"Kung tapos na yung kanilang kontrata or yung pagbibisita doon sa ibang bansa kailangan umalis na kung halimbawa hindi ito [visa] ma-extend or ma-renew,” he added.
Before 2013, the deportation depended greatly on the consent of the deportee.
Foreign nationals who violate provisions of Japan’s Immigration Control Act undergo deportation procedures and those who refuse to consent to deportation are detained in immigration centers.
Filipinos are the 3rd largest immigration violators in Japan after South Koreans and Chinese, Hernandez said.
Deportation of 75 Pinoys from Japan
On Saturday, 75 undocumented Filipinos were deported from Japan, consisting of 54 men, 13 women, and eight children.
Before Saturday's deportation, there were over 200 Filipinos in Japan immigration centers, constituting the highest number of foreign nationals in detention.
Speculations about OFWS being "targeted" were triggered by the deportation of the 75 undocumented Filipinos from Japan and the repatriation of close to 900 overseas Filipino workers from Saudi Arabia this year.
However, the DFA on Wednesday belied reports that simultaneous crackdowns against undocumented workers in various countries targeted Filipinos, specifically.
In a text message to GMA News Online, Hernandez said other countries “are merely undertaking routine immigration law enforcement activities” and the deportation and repatriation of undocumented foreigners are not focused on Filipinos alone.
Hernandez explained that Filipinos are not the only ones being deported but other nationalities as well.
Relaxed visa requirements
The deportation comes at a time when Japan relaxed its visa requirements for Filipinos.
Starting July 1, Filipinos planning to go to Japan for a short stay can already apply for multiple entry visas, based on a recent order that also relaxed Japanese visa rules for other Asian countries.
The development is part of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-Japan Friendship and Cooperation celebrations, a statement dated Tuesday from Japan's Ministry of Foreign of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said.
Filipino visitors to Japan who will apply for the multiple entry visas will be able to stay in Japan for up to 15 days. The visas will be valid for three years.
Visa applicants must fulfill "certain conditions," according to the statement, but have yet to specify the other details of application.
An ordinary Machine-Readable Passport (MRP) that meets International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards or an ordinary IC passport is also required. — Andrei Medina, VVP, GMA News
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