The Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) has just released a letter instructing a complete halt of the participation of Filipinos to the U.S. Exchange Visitor Program:  https://www.dropbox.com/s/ierkayu23ikldl9/Notice%20to%20agencies_Moratorium%20Philippines.pdf?dl=0  

Unfortunately, a group of Filipino interns in the U.S. were affected negatively by the global pandemic when their employers closed for business. When the interns turned to the Philippine government for assistance, the Philippine government's response was to shut down the entire Exchange Visitor Program to the USA.

This drastic measure affects Filipino nationals who were hoping to participate as high school exchange students, Summer Work/Travel students, interns, trainees, camp counselors, teachers, Au Pairs and several other categories. 

The exchange visitors who were in the U.S. at the start of the global emergency faced a negative situation, and are justified in their disappointment.  But, nearly EVERYONE in our world is facing disappointment and loss due to this virus, as a global emergency on this scale is unprecedented in our lifetimes.  We all, including the exchange community, need to make adjustments to our policies, expectations, and practices to deal with the possibility of worldwide pandemic. A complete ban on the Exchange Visitor Program is NOT the answer.

Please act today to convince the CFO to reconsider this overreaching move.  The ONLY voices they are hearing right now are of those 2020 interns who were affected by COVID-19, not the overwhelming majority of you, who have enjoyed excellent, life-changing cultural and career experiences over the nearly 60 year history of the Exchange Visitor Program. The CFO needs to hear from all of us NOW so that the order can be retracted before serious damage is done.