Over 10,000 foreign workers of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) have downgraded their work visas, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said on Monday, Oct. 7.
BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado reminded foreign workers of POGOs that they have until Oct. 15 to downgrade their work visas.
“We encourage POGO workers to file as early as possible to avoid complications," Viado said.
He also said the BI has been “expediting the downgrading process to comply with the President's directive.”
The BI said that visa downgrading allows foreign nationals “to revert their status from a work visa to a temporary visitor visa, thereby enabling them to remain legally in the Philippines for 59 days while winding down their affairs.”
“The 59-day period from the deadline aligns with the directive of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who has ordered foreign POGO workers to leave the country by the end of this year,” it said.
During his July 22 State of the Nation Address (SONA), the President declared that all POGO operations should cease by the end 2024.