Secretary of Labor and Employment Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz yesterday encouraged overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the United Arab Emirates who are overstaying their visas—and therefore are in the UAE illegally—to leave the country without penalty, or regularize their visas starting December 4, 2012, until February 3, 2013.
“Illegal UAE residents who had overstayed their visas can obtain exit passes and leave the country without penalties, or regularize their visas after payment of fines,” Baldoz advised receiving a report of Philippine Labor Attaché to Abu Dhabi Nasser B. Munder saying the Abu Dhabi government has issued a new, two-month amnesty to illegal residents effective December 4, 2012.
Labor Attache Munder, in his report, said illegal residents should visit residency departments across UAE to obtain exit visas or outpasses and leave the country without penalty.
The last time the UAE has an amnesty for illegal residents was in 2007 when 341,958 illegal residents of various nationalities availed of the amnesty and 95,000 illegal workers, also of various nationalities, legalized their status.
There are no estimates of how many would avail of the amnesty this time.
There are an estimated 209,385 OFWs in the UAE.
A January 2, 2013, press release from the Department of Labor and Employment
Share this
Emoticon Emoticon