The Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi and Philippine Consulate in Dubai are ready to help overstaying overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who will avail of the amnesty program beginning August 1.
Chargé d’ affairs at the Philippine Embassy, Rowena Pangilinan Daquipil, said they are ready for the expected influx of OFWs who will be needing necessary documents to be able to avail of the amnesty program.
Daquipil told Khaleej Times: “We are ready to assist our overstaying kababayans (compatriots), especially with documentation that may be needed by authorities. The fear that they are illegal will be removed, and there are no punitive actions to rectify their status.”
Daquipil added that those who will opt to stay will be given visa valid for six months to give them more time to look for a job in the Gulf state.
Meanwhile, Philippine Consul-General Paul Raymund Cortes said the Consulate, in coordination with the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila, has formed a special team that will assist OFWs during the program.
“[The Consulate is] committed to assist fellow Filipinos availing of the UAE’s amnesty programme in the most efficient and effective way possible,” Cortes told the report.
UAE’s three-month amnesty program for visa violators is set to begin on August 1 until October 31.
