The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has retained its International Organization for Standardization (ISO) certification in recognition of its continuing efforts to improve the quality of its services to the people.
Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente announced that the BI successfully hurdled a two-day ISO surveillance audit conducted by experts from Societe Generale Surveillance (SGS).
He said the SGS affirmed the bureau’s compliance with organizational practices and standards required to maintain its ISO status.
“Congratulations to the men and women of the BI for a job well done. This proves that we remain focused on our goal to provide the most efficient services to our clientele,” Morente said.
The BI chief disclosed that for satisfactorily hurdling the surveillance audit, the bureau’s ISO 9001:2015 certification stays.
“The certification shows that we continue to provide our clients with quality services that are globally competitive and conforms with internationally recognized standards,” Morente added.
A primer on the ISO states that 9001:2015 is the most popular and sought after of all ISO certifications.
“The standard requires an organization to put up a Quality Management System (QMS) that is customer-focused and puts emphasis on continuously improving top management practices throughout the agency,” said BI Deputy Commissioner Aldwin Alegre, who supervises the administrative affairs of the bureau.
Alegre said passing the exhaustive ISO surveillance audit last Sept. 7-8 is a product of the hard work of the bureau’s ISO teams and personnel of all the offices.
The BI first obtained its ISO certification 9001:2008 in 2016 and it was the first among the agencies attached to the Department of Justice (DOJ) to be ISO-certified.