A Filipino managed to secure his own 6-month visa to continue his search for a job in the UAE as the Amnesty program is on its 3rd week of implementation. Amnesty seeker Rollie Gutierrez spoke to The Filipino Times to clarify the process on getting the temporary visa.
An overstayer for 1 year and 2 months, Gutierrez struggled as he was unsure when his previous company will issue him a visa. “Hindi naman ako nawalan ng trabaho… hindi lang nagvisa yung mga kumpanya ko dati… may hawak nga akong 3 offer letters but sad to say nagamit lang din talaga ang visa ko,” explained Gutierrez.
When he learned about the UAE amnesty program this 2018, he felt relieved as he can now continue to search for jobs legally in the UAE. “Answered prayer po ang UAE amnesty,” said Gutierrez.
Securing the 6-month visa
Gutierrez who previously filed an application to get his 6-month visa, only had to prepare the following: his valid passport and a copy of it, his latest Emirates ID as well as a copy of it, and his passport-sized photo. He also mentioned that he was advised by Tasheel to tell fellow Filipinos to proceed to Emirates Identification Authority for those who don’t have their Emirates ID any longer. “Kung wala na silang Emirates ID or copy man lang, punta lang daw sa Emirates Identification Authority para makakuha ng copy.”
After paying the application fee of Dh 84, Gutierrez was advised to wait for 3 working days. Upon his return, he was asked to pay another Dh 84 to complete the process of changing his status. He clarified that there’s no longer any requirement of paying Dh 640: “Bale 168 dirhams lang ang total na nabayaran ko.”
A new beginning
Gutierrez also told The Filipino Times that he has since received an interview to land a job as an Arabic chef: “May interview po ako sa Dubai – actually offer letter signing na rin po ako.”
Gutierrez is one of the 100K Filipinos that DOLE has projected to benefit from the UAE’s Amnesty program. The UAE Amnesty program runs until October 31, from Sundays to Thursdays, 8:00 am to 8:00 pm with 9 centres across the UAE for those who wish to go home, as well as dozens of Tasheel centres and Amer centres for those who wish to change their status and secure their 6-month visa.
Here are the top 10 frequently asked questions about amnesty:
