DUBAI: With the amnesty program yet again extended for another month to end on Dec. 31, Consul General Paul Raymund urged those having second thoughts or at a lost as to what to do because their passport have expired or is missing, to come forward as this can be addressed.
Speaking to The Filipino Times, Cortes explained that they observe a 15-day clearing period to ensure that the passports were not tampered with or used by someone else.
This, while at the same time requiring the applicant to submit pertinent requirements so that he or she could immediately move forward with having biometrics taken should the old passport is cleared.
He said they have been following this procedure since the early days of the amnesty program in August this year, where they observed that an issue among amnesty seekers is lost or expired passport.
“Yung mga nag-stay ay karamihan expired passport case,” Cortes said, referring to the over 5,000 of the 8,000 overstaying OFWs who have filed for amnesty so far, and opted to avail of the six-month jobseeker’s visa by the UAE government.
“So, what we do is come up with a quicker release of their passports para magamit na nila agad at mabigyan sila ng 6 months jobseeker’s visa o kaya ay ma-employ na sila ng kani-kaniang mga sponsors.” (Those who have opted to stay in the UAE mostly involved expired passports. So, what we do is come up with a quicker release of their passports so that they can use the new ones immediately for them to have their six-month jobseeker’s visa or be employed by their sponsors.)
Cortes also said they have been working closely with the Foreign Affairs home office in Manila to help expedite the release of new passports for UAE overstayers who have reported lost or have expired passports.
