For a lot of Filipino travelers, it can be quite daunting to go through pre-boarding interview with the immigration officer. There were a lot of cases where people get off-boarded for different reasons. That means thousands of Pesos wasted on plane tickets and hotel bookings and other pre-travel purchases. 

In my years of traveling, going through immigration has been easy for me. That's because I always came prepared. Here are some tips that I can share to get through immigration easy and hassle-free.

Tip #1. Always have these documents printed out and ready in case the Immigration Officer asks for them.
-Proof of return flight
-Proof of hotel bookings
-Itinerary
-Company ID and/or COE
-Invitation letter and address (if staying with a friend)


Tip #2. Only answer what is being asked. Do not give any unnecessary details that might lead to more follow up questions.
Example:
Q. What is the purpose of your trip?
A. I want to go on a tour and see the <name of tourist attraction>.
Q. What do you do for work?
A. I work as a <insert job here>.

Tip #3. If you are a freelancer (like me), then explain what you do. Have COEs or invoices from your remote clients ready in case they ask for it. But again REFER TO ITEM ABOVE, only tell them what you do for work IF they ask about it.

Tip #4. DO NOT LIE. Immigration Officers always know if you are lying and it could definitely lead to you being off-boarded.

Tip #5. BE CONFIDENT. If you are nervous or anxious, it will show and it might give the Immigration Officer a reason to doubt you.

Tip #6. Smile and be courteous to the Immigration Officer. Doesn’t hurt to greet them with a “Good morning” or “Good evening” with a smile when approaching them.

And there you go. Those are tips that I can share when being interviewed by the immigration officer. These tips are for travelers only, meaning the purpose of your trip is just to travel. Because if you have other purposes (i.e. working illegally), the IO officer will know even if you declare otherwise. And you will get off-boarded.

If you have any questions, feel free to drop a comment below! :)