I'm offloaded? My 2-hours interview with the Philippine Immigration before flight

I'm excited. This is my first vacation abroad. 

That was the thought I had while I was on my way to the airport. I arrived at the airport 5 hours before the flight and the airport was packed! There was a long queue at the Airline counters up to the Immigration and Security. I reached the Immigration counter 2.5 hours before my boarding gate closed. I had plenty of time so I was in no rush. 

Layover at Hamad International Airport

Until the bitter reality started to bite me in the *ss. I spent the remaining 2 hours of my buffer time at the Immigration office for an interview. There was a lot of questioning. I kept calm and collected throughout the interview until I checked on the clock with 20 minutes remaining before my boarding gate closed *and the Officer was not done with me yet and still came with her questions*. That was when I began to lose my spirit and I was already preparing myself for the bad news of being offloaded.

I have to call my brothers back to the airport to pick me up. Sh*t.

That was the thought playing on my mind.

But Immigration did eventually let me go to catch my flight 10 minutes before the boarding gate closed. The adrenaline rush I had to reach the boarding gate before it closed made me feel like a real champ. I only had enough time to catch my breath let alone take a sip of water. 

In that 2-hour long interview, what could the Immigration and I possibly talk about? Read on.

Interview with the Front-line Immigration Officer

Every passenger goes through the front-line Immigration counters (also known as passport control counters) for a brief interview and for a departure stamp on the passport. During the interview, the passenger will be asked to present his passport, flight ticket, and visa (if any) and will be asked about the date of his return to the Philippines. These are the basic requirements and sometimes, these are sufficient to be eligible to fly. But --

There are factors that can make the requirements and questioning different for every passenger. Based on my first-hand experience (departing for Turkey), the front-line Immigration officer also asked me to present a confirmed and paid hotel to my destination. I have a reservation at a hotel with a paid-upon-arrival payment method but that is not sufficient for them. They need it to be paid before my arrival in Turkey. So, the front-line Immigration officer sent me to the back-office for a further interview.

Interview with the Back-office Immigration Officer

From first-hand experience, the four things the Immigration assesses if a tourist passenger is eligible to fly are financial capacity, travel insurance, itinerary, and prepaid accommodation.

Financial capacity

One of the primary reasons for financial capacity requirements is to ensure that tourists can support themselves during their vacation. Having the financial means to cover expenses like accommodation, food, transportation, and emergencies is essential for a safe and enjoyable journey and it cancels out the possibility of becoming a burden on the host country's social welfare system.

The effective ways to establish financial capacity for your tour are:

Bank Statements: A recent bank statement showing a sufficient balance in your account is a powerful indicator of financial capacity. The required amount may vary depending on the destination and the duration of your stay.

Proof of Employment: If you are employed, provide an employer's letter stating your position, salary, and approved leave, showing you have stable employment and income.

Income Tax Returns: Providing copies of your income tax returns can demonstrate your financial responsibility and a steady source of income.

Sponsorship Letters: If someone else is financially supporting your trip, such as a family member, they can write a sponsorship letter, indicating their willingness to cover your expenses.

In my experience, I have been asked to present my bank statements (and the actual balance through my mobile app), debit and credit cards, dollars in cash (I voluntarily showed it), income tax return, certificate of employment, 6-month payslips, employment ID, and the actual email of my employer's approval of my leave dates. While these are not required, it would still be wise to have copies of these documents even in digital format on your phone for unexpected events like this, being interviewed at the back-office Immigration. They do not cost anything to prepare anyway. Even the bank statements now can already be downloaded from mobile banking. 

There were follow-up questions as we went through the documents. I will mention one of them here to give you an idea of the detailed nature of their questioning. For example, on my bank statement, I was asked who person A was, why I sent person A some money, and why person A sent me some money. For further verification, while the officer was holding my bank statement and I do not have a copy of it with me, she asked me the date when person A sent me back the money. That's the level of verification they do. They go through the details and check if your statement corroborates with your provided documents. I don't know if that's generally how Immigration processes the verification but that specific officer did not let me spare any details.

Travel Insurance

Purchasing comprehensive travel insurance is actually optional but when you are at the back-office Immigration, there is a 99% chance they will ask for it. Despite that it is optional, you may want to consider purchasing one before your flight as it can be a smart move for your safety. In many countries, healthcare can be expensive for tourists, especially if they require medical treatment or hospitalization. Travel insurance provides coverage for medical expenses, which helps you ensure, that as a tourist, can receive the necessary healthcare without incurring substantial out-of-pocket costs. It also serves as proof that you are financially prepared for unexpected events.

Itinerary

An itinerary helps immigration officials verify that tourists have a clear and legitimate purpose for their visit. It shows that tourists have planned activities and destinations during their stay, which aligns with the stated reason for their visit, whether it's tourism, business, or any other authorized purpose, and confirms that tourists do not plan to overstay their visa or entry permit.

I really overprepared myself for my Turkey tour as I presented my detailed itinerary which contains the dates, my destinations, my commute plan, my budget for each activity, and even the souvenirs that I'd buy and an estimate of how much they would cost. I love making an itinerary and I enjoy preparing it. I even want to make it a career.

Not only will an itinerary help you explain your plans at Immigration easily, but it also helps you to maximize your opportunity to enjoy your limited days in the host country and ensure that you'll not miss visiting the sites you want to visit the most.

Pre-booked Accommodation

Reserving and prepaying for your accommodation, such as hotels or vacation rentals helps Immigration verify that you, as a tourist, have a planned place to stay while in the host country. This also helps them verify that you are entering the country for legitimate tourism purposes

This is the part that took us a long time to move on from because of my refusal to prepay my reserved hotel. I explained that it's easy for me to book accommodation through AirBnB or other similar apps/websites if ever problems arise with my reserved hotel. I even called the hotel to show confirmation of my reservation but I was admonished by the officer that phone calls are not allowed during the interview. 

I was already at the end of my wits. There is less than 20 minutes left before my boarding gate closes. I asked the officer if I paid for the hotel, would you let me go? Because I might pay the hotel then you'll offload me. Then, that defeats the purpose.

The officer did not answer me directly with yes or no. Rather she said, this is the last question. After this, no more. Do you have a paid accommodation? 

No, I haven't booked and paid for it, I answered. 

I'll be back with you in a minute. I'm sorry, but we need to ensure that you won't be left stranded or without a place to sleep upon arrival as it is not uncommon knowledge that there are hotel scamming schemes everywhere. 

Right there and then, I immediately booked and paid an accommodation through AirBnB.

When she came back to me, I showed her my proof of prepaid accommodation and she let me go. Finally. 

I was not in a celebratory state yet because I had to rush through the front-line Immigration again for the stamp, go through Security, and a few minutes walk to the boarding gate. I have to do all of that within 10 minutes! Praise be to God, the jampacked airport at that time is no longer jampacked! I reckon that the passengers were already boarded and there are only a few of us left in the landside (the area where the security checks and passport and customs control in an airport terminal are located).

The long-format interview was definitely a hassle and a killjoy but it's an experience. At least now I know and I can share my experience on how I succeeded the Immigration and made it to my destination.

Ortakoy mosque in Istanbul, Turkey

If you are struggling with preparing your itinerary, I can help you for only Php350.00 per 5-day itinerary. Email me at marizdecaf@gmail.com