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| Kawanihan ng Pandarayuhan | |
 | |
 Bureau of Immigration Building inPlaza de Mexico,Intramuros,Manila | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | January 22, 1940 (1940-01-22) |
| Jurisdiction | Government of the Philippines |
| Headquarters | Bureau of Immigration Head Office, Magallanes Drive,Intramuros,Manila |
| Motto | Patriotism, Integrity, Professionalism |
| Employees | 2,257 (2024)[1] |
| Annual budget | ₱1.61 billion (2023)[2] |
| Minister responsible | |
| Agency executives |
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| Parent agency | Department of Justice |
| Website | immigration |
TheBureau of Immigration (Filipino:Kawanihan ng Pandarayuhan),[3] also known between 1972 and 1987 as theBureau of Immigration and Deportation, is the immigration regulatory and control body of thePhilippines. It was established by thePhilippine Immigration Act in 1940, although a predecessor agency had existed as part of theBureau of Customs since 1899.
The Bureau of Immigration started as a division of the Bureau of Customs during the American regime in 1899.[4] It was appropriate because ship travel and ship cargo were interlinked and hence, the office was at theBureau of Customs. It seems that the government then, gave more importance on the entry of goods than monitoring of foreign nationals coming into the country. The government was more interested in generating customs duties from these goods than in the control and regulation of the arrival and stay of foreigners. The functions of immigration remained under the said bureau until 1937 when it was transferred as a division of the Bureau of Labor.
The functions of Immigration were transferred in 1937 as a division under the Bureau of Labor. This was mainly to respond to the arrival of Chinese nationals who owned and operated trade houses stores and restaurants in the country.
On January 22, 1940, theSecond National Assembly of the Philippine Commonwealth enacted thePhilippine Immigration Act of 1940 (Commonwealth Act No. 613). It was signed into law by thePresident of the United States on September 3, 1940, creating the Bureau of Immigration under the administrative supervision of the Office of the President.
A year or so later, it became an attached agency of theDepartment of Justice (DOJ). Its administrative control was later returned to the Office of the President.
When thePacific War broke out in December 1941, the Bureau, then under the Department of Justice, moved to theBilibid Prison on Azcarraga Street (nowClaro M. Recto Avenue).
Immediately after the war, the bureau was transferred near the Gate 1 of the South Harbor in Manila, then moved to Building No. 5 at the Customs Bureau at Gate 4. In 1945, in line with the reorganization plan of the government, the bureau was put under the supervision and control of the Department of Labor.
In 1948, the Bureau was reverted to the jurisdiction of the Department of Justice where it has remained up to the present time.
On September 21, 1972, then PresidentFerdinand E. Marcos proclaimedmartial law,[5] ordered and decreed the adoption and implementation of the Integrated Reorganization Plan.
Hence, the Commission on Reorganization issued Letter of Implementation No. 20, dated December 31, 1972 which embodies the plan, including among other things, the change of name of the office from the Bureau of Immigration to Commission on Immigration and Deportation. This became a collegian body and performing both administrative and quasi-judicial functions. It is composed of the commissioner and his two associate commissioners. Letter of Implementation No. 20 also abolished the Deportation Board and transferred its functions to the Board of Commissioners who gave them power to undertakedeportation cases.
The bureau was given the sole authority to enforce and administer immigration and foreign nationals registration laws including the admission, registration, exclusion and deportation andrepatriation of foreign nationals. It also supervises the immigration from the Philippines of foreign nationals.
On July 25, 1987, PresidentCorazon C. Aquino signed Executive order No. 292, also known as the Administrative Code of 1987. Said order renamed the office as the "Bureau of Immigration". However, it continues to perform all the powers and functions it had while still a commission, and its head of office still remains to be called "Commissioner" as provided under the DOJ.
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In the discharge of its broad functions, the Bureau through its Board of Commissioners, exercises administrative and quasi-judicial powers over the:
| # | Name | Tenure started | Tenure ended |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Engracio Fabre | 1945 | 1950 |
| 2 | Jose P. Bengzon (1898–1990) | 1950 | 1950 |
| 3 | Vicente Dela Cruz | 1951 | 1954 |
| 4 | Emilio Galang | 1954 | 1962 |
| 5 | Martiniano Vivo | 1962 | 1966 |
| 6 | Edmundo M. Reyes | 1967 | 1986 |
| 7 | Enrique M. Joaquin | 1986 | 1987 |
| – | Ramon J. Liwag | 1987 | 1988 |
| 8 | Miriam Defensor Santiago (1945–2016) | January 4, 1988 | July 17, 1989 |
| 9 | Bienvenido P. Alano | July 4, 1989 | December 21, 1989 |
| 10 | Andrea O. Domingo | December 22, 1989 | March 17, 1992 |
| 11 | Bayani M. Subido | March 18, 1992 | July 1992 |
| 12 | Zafiro L. Resficio | July 3, 1992 | August 1994 |
| – | Ramon J. Liwag | August 1994 | March 1995 |
| 13 | Leandro I. Verceles Sr. (1927–1996) | March 6, 1995 | July 12, 1996 |
| – | Ramon J. Liwag | July 13, 1996 | August 3, 1996 |
| 14 | Edgar I. Mendoza | August 4, 1996 | March 18, 1998 |
| 15 | Rufus B. Rodriguez | July 1, 1998 | January 20, 2001 |
| 16 | Andrea O. Domingo | January 23, 2001 | December 2003 |
| 17 | Alipio F. Fernandez Jr. (1943–2018) | January 2004 | March 27, 2007 |
| 18 | Roy M. Almoro | March 28, 2007 | May 1, 2007 |
| 19 | Marcelino C. Libanan | May 2007 | July 2010 |
| – | Ronaldo P. Ledesma | August 2010 | March 20, 2011 |
| 20 | Ricardo A. David Jr. | March 18, 2011 | July 16, 2013 |
| 21 | Siegfried B. Mison | July 17, 2013 | January 5, 2016 |
| 22 | Ronaldo A. Geron | January 6, 2016 | June 30, 2016 |
| 23 | Jaime H. Morente | July 1, 2016 | June 30, 2022 |
| 24 | Norman G. Tansingco | September 12, 2022 | September 9, 2024[7] |
| 25 | Joel Anthony M. Viado | September 30, 2024[8][9] | Incumbent |
Historic District ofManila | ||
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