Australia Visa For Philippine Passport Holders: Beware Of Hoax News

Hoax news went viral about an Australia visa for Philippine passport holders. The news said a visa will no longer be required for Filipinos who want to visit Australia for 90 days starting January 2017. The Australian Embassy in Manila immediately debunked the news and said it was fake.

Filipinos To Enjoy Visa-Free To Australia

The fake site claimed that Australia entered into a ‘bilateral visa agreement’ with the Philippines. According to the news, both countries want to ‘simplify travel barriers’ and are ‘combating illegal immigration’.

The hoax news included a so-called ‘quote’ from the Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop. “We saw the wisdom in relaxing our immigration rules which necessitated Cabinet to approve the road map which was laid in Parliament about 9 months ago” the quote read. The news that the bill has been passed and visa barriers are no more although they do not expect the abuse of this privilege in anyway by any of the party to this agreement.

Australia Visa For Philippine Passport Holders: A Hoax, Embassy Says

On Monday, November 7, the Australian embassy in the Philippines released a statement via Facebook. The statement informs the public that they are aware of the viral hoax news. They cleared the issue saying “This is a scam and potential travelers to Australia must have a valid Australian visa.”

The notice said any Filipino who would want to travel to Australia should go through the right process. It should be the result of a proper visa application. The page included a legitimate website that guides readers on Visas and citizenship. To visit the site, click here.

To read article on Australia: The happiest place to live in, click here.

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