MANILA, Philippines—Bureau of Immigration (BI) officers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) have apprehended a 23-year-old Chinese man for using a fraudulently obtained working visa, authorities confirmed.  

In a statement, Immigration Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado identified the suspect as Li Xuanjun, who was intercepted at the departure area of NAIA Terminal 1 on January 22. 

Li was preparing to board a Philippine Airlines flight to Quanzhou, China, when he was flagged by the BI’s automated derogatory check system.  

According to Viado, the system revealed that Li was wanted by the BI for possessing a working visa obtained through fraud and misrepresentation.  

Verification by BI supervisors confirmed Li’s identity matched the derogatory record. 

“We will be deporting him for being an undesirable alien, which stemmed from his acquisition of a visa through dishonest means,” Viado said. 

“His inclusion in our blacklist effectively banned him from re-entering the Philippines,” he said. 

Li was subsequently turned over to the BI’s Border Control and Intelligence Unit (BCIU) and transferred to the BI Warden Facility in Taguig City, where he will remain in custody pending deportation proceedings.  

Records revealed that Li’s working visa had been canceled in 2023 after an investigation showed it was issued under the petition of a fictitious employer. 

Checks with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) confirmed the purported company did not exist.  

The BI board of commissioners nullified Li’s visa, citing it was granted based on false information provided by the applicant.