Statement: On Repatriation of 126 OFWs from Abu Dhabi

04 October 2018 – The Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi will repatriate 126 distressed Filipinos this evening.

Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates Hjayceelyn Quintana said this is the fifth mass repatriation to be conducted by the Philippine Embassy during the 2018 UAE Immigration Amnesty Period.

Since January 2018, Ambassador Quintana said the Embassy has repatriated 1,765 Filipino nationals, 1,014 of whom were sheltered at the Philippine Embassy while 751 were walk-in clients. Many are illegal recruitment victims.

The UAE is now implementing a three-month amnesty period, from 01 August 2018 to 31 October 2018, that offers overstaying and/or absconded expatriates the chance to rectify their immigration status and apply for a six-month long jobseeker’s visa or to return to their home countries with their immigration fees waived.

The Department of Foreign Affairs, through the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Philippine Consulate-General in Dubai are assisting Filipinos during this period whether they opt to stay in the UAE or opt for repatriation back to the Philippines. END