Pioneer Sex Offender Blacklist Removals — Bureau of Immigration / Department of Justice (2024–2025)
Atty. Alexander Llanes Acain Jr. successfully obtained the lifting of the Bureau of Immigration blacklist for two foreign nationals who had been blacklisted as registered sex offenders — a category that had been categorically barred from blacklist removal under prior DOJ policy.
Following the DOJ’s relaxation of its blacklist removal rules in 2024 to permit case-by-case petitions from sex offenders, Atty. Acain immediately filed petitions on behalf of both clients. He secured approval from the Secretary of Justice and the Bureau of Immigration approved both Petitions for Removal from the Blacklist.
His clients were the first foreign nationals in the Philippines to benefit from the relaxed rules — pioneer recipients of a policy change that had previously left this category of blacklisted individuals without any legal remedy.
Blacklist Lifted — Swiss National Wrongly Issued Philippine Passport
A Swiss national married to a Filipino citizen was blacklisted after using a Philippine passport that had been issued to him in error. He was duped and scammed and was led to believe by immigration fixers that he could be issued a Philippine Passport by being married to a Filipino citizen. We filed a petition establishing the erroneous basis of the blacklisting and obtained a favorable order from the Bureau of Immigration lifting the blacklist on humanitarian grounds.
Blacklist Lifted — American National Blacklisted for Indigence
An American national married to a Filipino citizen was blacklisted after financial difficulties prevented him from renewing his visa. He had returned to the US and secured stable employment before approaching our firm. We settled his outstanding BI fees, fines, and penalties, submitted documentary proof of his current financial stability, and obtained the lifting of the blacklist order.
Blacklist Lifted — British National (Malampaya Project), Discourtesy Incident
A British national who had worked on the Malampaya MP3 Project for SPEX (Shell Philippines) was blacklisted following an isolated discourtesy incident with an immigration officer. We facilitated a resolution with the Bureau of Immigration; our client submitted an acknowledged letter of apology, which was accepted by the involved immigration officer, and the blacklist order was lifted.
Deportation Case Dismissed — False Allegations Refuted
A foreign national faced deportation proceedings based on fabricated allegations of threatening behavior and danger to the community. We submitted a well-documented counter-affidavit with corroborating evidence, including text messages, photographs, and records of documented meetings. The Bureau of Immigration dismissed the deportation case for lack of merit.
