1.  This supplements and clarifies Law Instructions No. 27.

2.  Period of Validity; Extension and Re-Issuance - A Special Work Permit (SWP) shall be valid for a period determined by the Commission on Immigration and Deportation (CID) as necessary for the temporary visitor to engage in his non-immigrant business, but not to exceed the authorized stay of the temporary visitor. It may be further extended provided the application is made prior to its expiration and the aggregate continuous period of validity does not exceed 1 year and 59 days, or the temporary visitor ™s authorized stay, whichever comes first.  The period of validity of an SWP continues to run despite the absence of the temporary visitor from the Philippines and no expired segment thereof is reinstated upon his re-entry.

A temporary visitor who was previously granted an SWP which has since expired, may re-apply for the issuance of a new SWP provided (a) the bases for the grant of an SWP enumerated in Law Instructions No. 27 continue to exist, and (b) he is not engaged in employment which requires him to obtain a pre-arranged employment visa.

3.  Fees - An application for an SWP shall be assessed a fee of P300.00.  An SWP which is issued with an initial validity in excess of 3 months or which is extended beyond the initial validity shall be assessed an additional fee of P100.00 per month. An overtime fee of P200.00 shall be assessed for Express Lane Service. If a single application covers more than one applicant, only a single overtime fee shall be assessed. Under the Express Lane Service, an application received between 8:00-11:30 a.m. shall be released on the same day. That received in the afternoon shall be released in the morning of the following day. Under regular processing, an application shall be acted upon and released within three working days.

4.  Alien Journalist - Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions, an alien journalist or a foreign correspondent pursuing his profession in the country, shall be granted an indefinite SWP for as long as he remains accredited with the International Press Center.

5.  Expatriates in Hotels/Restaurants With Pending Applications for Pre-Arranged Employment Visas - Under the Revised Joint Circular among the Department of Tourism (DOT), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the CID Enunciating Policy Guidelines on the Employment of Foreign Nationals in the Hotel/Restaurant Industry, the applications for pre-arranged employment visas of the expatriates in the hotels and restaurants are required to be processed by a committee composed of representatives from the DOT, DOLE and the CID.  Because of the substantial delay being experienced in the initial implementation of the joint screening procedure, an applicant who has submitted complete documents to support his application for a pre-arranged employment visa as certified by the DOT, may, upon his request. be issued an SWP pending action on his application, as an exception to the conditions under which an SWP may be issued. Said SWP shall be valid for a period of 3 months, subject to further extensions for as long as the application remains pending. An application for said SWP shall be assessed a fee of P300.00.  An extension beyond the initial validity shall be assessed an additional fee of P100.00 per month.  The fee and time frame for Express Lane Service referred to in paragraph 3, above, shall apply to an SWP issued hereunder.

Adopted: 19 Aug. 1988

(SGD.) REGINA PADILLA GERALDEZ
Associate Commissioner