Filipino nurses have received a surprise golden visa upgrade from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) government. It is a gesture of gratitude of UAE to its frontline workers who have braved the COVID-19 pandemic.
Felma Ison, who has been a nurse in the UAE for 16 years said that they were very excited upon receiving the news.
“We never have a single hint that we will receive the golden visa. We stopped to work for a moment to make sure we also got the golden visa by checking the UAEICP and it was confirmed our visa is updated until 2032. We are all overwhelmed with excitement and full of joy. I post in my status right away [and] I called my husband to tell about the good news,” shared Felma.
Felma shared that she got into nursing after being inspired by one of her aunts who helped her get to school and is a missionary nurse in Pakistan.
“Not everyone can have it, there is criteria. It was given earlier only for doctors then when they said nurses can apply, we find out it will cost a lot of money so we just drop the idea,” shared Felma.
For her, receiving a golden visa has a lot of great benefits.
“We can stay here even when we lose our job, we can sponsor our families, we can stay outside the country with no restrictions kahit taon pa na di ka bumalik, We can sponsor investors, we can own our business and property here if we decided to retire. Sosyal di ba?,” she said.
‘I love UAE’
“Im very grateful to the act of their generosity. We felt that our effort and dedication to served the country especially during this pandemic is not in vain. I felt we are worth something in their heart after all. UAE attracts us to stay as much as we want and leave the thought of migrating to another country. A lot of people wishes same that they could also have this opportunity for free. I love UAE talaga. Thank you so much first of all to our God and to SEHA, for their act of generosity,” expressed Felma.
Read on: ‘Shukran UAE!’: Filipino nurses, healthcare frontliners thank UAE for Golden Visa opportunity
‘Thank you is not enough’
Meggy, who hails from Quezon City and now works as a nurse in Abu Dhabi, shares to The Filipino Times that she first thought of receiving the golden visa as a joke.
“At first akala ko joke lang kasi wala naman talagang memo na and [di lahat ng] mga nasa healthcare may chance na makakuha ng golden visa I mean, nurses – kasi may category and criteria and requirements yan sila na kung sino ang pwede makakuha. And then, my friend told me na mga nurses daw ay golden visa na. Then, I tried to check sa ICA app na meron dito sa UAE kung san makikita mo yung residency visa mo, and totoo nga, nagulat ako eh. Paulit ulit ko pa binabasa yung date, tapos sabi ko totoo nga, pangalan ko naman to. Nasa work ako di ako makapaniwala, then syempre grateful talaga,” shared Meggy.
She considers being a nurse a calling and has been in the nursing profession for 12 years.
“Since day 1 grateful na ako sa bansang ‘to sa kabaitan nila sa lahat ng frontliners during Covid. Kaya, we people in medical field na andito sa UAE, thank you is not enough. We hope and pray to this nation to be more successful. To the UAE gov, Thank you for all the the support that you have done to us during pandemic. It was a depressing and vulnerable stage in our life but they never fail to support us. Kahit wala man ako sa bansa natin to serve our own people, nakakapag-serve pa din naman kami sa kapwa Pilipino dito especially during Covid times and hangang ngayon and my kababayan knows that,” said Meggy.
Inspired by Nightingale, registered nurse Jenny Tolosa has been a nurse for 21 years.
She shared with TFT how delighted and amazed she is with the government of UAE. She said she just woke up from a night shift when she learned about the news.
“I still can’t believe prin po na Golden Visa po ako. But I believe ‘yung help will be amazing for us Health Care Workers! The Government of UAE is truly wonderful from the beginning,” said Jenny.
‘Happy to serve with all my heart’
“I will always pray for them with the heart because not only for their generosity but because of their big heart to humanity/society. I am blessed, secured and safe in this country. I believed that all are treated fairly not only the frontliners but as well the blue collar jobs like workers in streets, they were given the chance to take break during the scorching heat of the sun. Overall, UAE Government is the best and I am happy to serve them with all of my heart,” she added.
Felma, Meggy and Jenny are some of the hardworking Filipino nurses who served as frontliners during the COVID-19 pandemic.
