2 Africans with Canadian visas held

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has arrested two Africans who recently tried to enter and leave the country for Canada with fake Canadian visas.

BI port operations chief Grifton Medina informed Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente that the Africans were arrested separately at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) terminal 1 by members of the bureau’s travel control and enforcement unit (TCEU).

Medina said the two Africans were just the latest catch in the intensified campaign in preventing international syndicates from using Manila as a jump-off point in smuggling illegal aliens to Canada.

“We are warning these syndicates to stop their nefarious activities because our men at the airports are experts in detecting fraudulent visas and passports,” Medina said.

The Africans are now detained at the bureau pending prosecution for violating the immigration act.

BI TCEU chief Erwin Ortañez identified the two as Cameroonian national Etienne Makang Nformem, 35, and Sudanese national Abdelmotalab Idris Himat Mohamed, 29.

Ortañez said Nformem was intercepted Feb. 9 after he arrived aboard a Gulf Air flight from Bahrain.

He alleged during interview that he would be visiting his cousin here and that after three days he would be flying to Toronto.

Mohamed was apprehended Feb. 13 while he was about to depart for Toronto aboard a Philippine Airlines flight.

His Canadian visa, too, was found to be counterfeit after it was examined by personnel from the BI’s anti-fraud division.

He was reportedly working in the Philippines before, and allegedly sent his passport to Sudan to have his family process his fake Canadian visa.