DFA Encourages Qualified Filipinos In UAE To Take Advantage Of Amnesty
01 August 2018 – The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is encouraging undocumented Filipinos in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to take advantage of the amnesty program being extended by the Gulf state.
The DFA, at the same time, extended its gratitude to the UAE for giving as many as 30,000 Filipinos the opportunity to either correct their immigration status or return to the Philippines.
The three-month amnesty will begin on 1 August and will end on 31 October 2018.
“We urge our kababayans in the UAE who have overstayed or have absconded from their employers to take advantage of this program,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter S. Cayetano said.
“We thank the UAE for this gesture,” the Secretary said, adding that the DFA, along with the Department of Labor and Employment, and other concerned agencies are ready to assist those who would avail themselves of the program.
The Secretary said the assistance to be extended to Filipinos in the UAE who may need such help is in line with the instructions of President Rodrigo R. Duterte for the DFA and other concerned agencies to ensure the well-being of Filipinos abroad.
The Secretary said there are about 10,000 Filipinos under the jurisdiction of the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi and 20,000 under the Consulate General in Dubai who are eligible under this program.
“We also ask the assistance of members of the media to help us disseminate the information about the amnesty program so that our kababayan in the UAE would know what their options are,” Secretary Cayetano added.
Consul General Paul Raymond Cortez of the Consulate General in Dubai said the UAE is implementing the amnesty for all foreign nationals who violated the country's immigration rules.
Consul General Cortez said that those who will avail themselves of the program will be exempted from the usual fines and immigration penalties and will not be banned from re-entering the UAE.
This, according to him, covers those who have overstayed or have absconded from their employers. “Those who have police records and cases filed against them will have to resolve their cases first before availing themselves of the program,” he said.
To avail of the amnesty, qualified nationals must apply at the Emirate which issued their most recent visa. They will be given two options: exit the UAE and return to their country, or rectify or legalize their immigration status and be allowed to stay further for six months.
Chargé d’Affaires Rowena Pangilinan-Daquipil of the Embassy in Abu Dhabi said those who will opt to legalize their status must have a valid Philippine passport and pay a fee prescribed by the UAE depending on the type of case.
She said that Filipinos without a valid passport will be allowed to renew or replace their passport, subject to the usual requirements for passport applications.
Chargé d’Affaires Pangilinan-Daquipil said those who will exit to the Philippines and do not have any passports will be issued a one-way travel document for them to be able to come home.
She said the Embassy and the Consulate General have been encouraging those under their jurisdiction to avail themselves of the program through various communication channels. END