Some of those who filed their application after Feb 27, 2008 who are not included in the list of 38 High Demand Occupations are now starting to get a notice from Centralized Intake Office (CIO) that their applications will not be processed and they will get a refund for the processing fee they paid.
If the check or bank draft you received is drawn from Bank of the Philippine Islands main branch and is in Philippine Peso currency, you have two options on how to get your money. You may either deposit the check to your bank account or go to the BPI main branch and cash the check. You should bring at least two valid IDs.
But if what you received is a bank draft drawn from a bank in Canada and is in Canadian dollar currency, that will be a concern. It wouldn't be a problem if you have an existing Canadian Dollar account as you may simply deposit the check to your account.
But what are the chances that a Filipino living in the Philippines would maintain a Canadian dollar bank account? Highly unlikely.
So if you are in this situation, you may either open a bank account and deposit your check. Or look for somebody who has a Canadian dollar account and endorse your check for deposit. Of course, you have to ask the bank first if that is possible. Or ask your bank if you can deposit the check to your peso savings account. If ever this is possible, it may take 2-3 months before it gets cleared.
If none of these are doable, then you have to inform the CIO about your problem. Request for a check in Philippine Peso currency.
I have sent an email to CIO informing them about this problem. I will update this post once I receive a reply from them. They shouldn't be sending checks in Canadian dollar currency for applicants from the Philippines.
