The Bureau of Immigration (BI) reminded Filipinos who are going abroad for the first time as fiancées, spouses, or family members of foreign nationals to secure a clearance from the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFOs) before leaving.
Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente urged the airline companies not to board passengers without the said document.
The BI chief made the clarification due to numerous queries from Filipino women who wanted to go to foreign lands to meet and live with their foreign partners.
Morente stressed "it's not a new rule for Filipinos to attend a guidance and counseling seminar from the CFO before flying abroad to be with their loved ones."
He explained that the CFO certificates and stickers serve as proof that they have attended guidance and counseling sessions administered by the CFO.
“Upon attending the sessions from the CFO, they are issued a certificate or a passport sticker which they would then present to immigration upon departure,” he said.