Filipinos To Fly Out Free-Thousand Register To Avail Kuwait Amnesty

Around a thousand undocumented Filipino workers in Kuwait trooped to the Philippine Embassy on Monday in Al Siddique area on the first day of the amnesty to apply for travel documents and schedule their fingerprinting to have their status checked for the processing of their exit clearance.

The Ministry of Interior issued on Jan 23, 2018 a Ministerial Decision No. 64/2018 stipulating regulations for expatriates, whose residency applications were rejected or those with expired residency permits, to rectify their status or leave the country. The amnesty period will be from Jan 29, 2018 to Feb 22, 2018.

Undocumented

“According to Colonel Mishal Ayed Al Shinfa, the Director of the Department of Investigation Affairs and Department of Follow- Up Management of Offenders at the Ministry of Interior, aside from overstaying and undocumented expats, the amnesty also covers those who have absconding cases and those who are in jail due to expired visas and residence violations,” disclosed Philippine Charge d’ Affaires Noordin Pendosina Lomondot to the Arab Times.

Lomondot who recently arrived in Kuwait was part of the Philippine Rapid Response Team that helped thousands of undocumented Filipinos in Saudi Arabia go home during the amnesty in the Kingdom. He cited that there are around 10,000 undocumented Filipino workers in Kuwait based on the records of the Ministry of Interior.

Most of the undocumented Filipinos worked as household service workers who ran away from their employers due to various forms of abuses such as physical, sexual or verbal abuse, non-payment of salary and overwork.

Some of the undocumented Filipinos braved the cold morning on Monday and queued as early as 4:00 am outside the embassy, just to make sure that they get to register on the first day as it is on a ‘firstcome- first-served’ basis. “My friends and I woke up so early today. We’re all excited to go home. Thanks to the Kuwaiti government for the amnesty,” stated Weesha who was able to get inside the embassy at 9:00 am.

Virginia, another undocumented for 18 years in Kuwait expressed mixed emotions as she lined up outside the embassy. “I feel so happy and at the same time sad because Kuwait has been my second home for the past 18 years. It was not easy to live with no papers. You’re always on the lookout if you see police authorities but thank God, I survived and was able to work for 18 years and it’s time for me to go home now and be with my family,” she pointed out.

Lomondot announced that the Philippine government will provide free tickets to all undocumented Filipinos in Kuwait who will go home under the Kuwait amnesty program. “We have already drafted a request to the Department of Foreign Affairs particularly to the Office of Undersecretary for Migrant Workers to provide funding for repatriation tickets. We have already coordinated with the Philippine Airlines and Kuwait Airways because these are the airlines with direct flights to the Philippines,” he stated.

To all those who want to avail the amnesty, they have to go to the embassy and bring with them six passport size photos with blue background, photocopy of their passport, Civil ID or any valid ID. The embassy has posted nine steps in the Amnesty Application Flow:

Step 1: Registration/Assessment

Step 2: Fill up application form. Submit the following documents: passport copy, Civil ID copy and 6 pieces passport size pictures

Step 3: Verification

Step 4: Verification Results – if applicant is qualified he/she will proceed to Step 5

Step 5: Fingerprinting

Step 6: Embassy will notify applicants of fingerprinting result and if he/she is qualified for amnesty

Step 7: Immigration stamping/ Exit permit

Step 8: Flight Scheduling Step 9: Repatriation

Hotline

For any query, they may call the embassy amnesty hotline 65002612 “According to Col Al Shinfa, all those who have their passport and don’t have any absconding case, they can buy their air ticket and go straight to the airport and fly home.

They will put two lines at the airport exclusive for amnesty seekers only,” informed Lomondot as he thanked Col Al Shinfa and the Kuwait government for their assistance.

The Philippine Embassy urges all undocumented Filipinos in Kuwait to avail the amnesty and go home without paying any penalty while those who want to stay may correct their residence status by paying the penalty and doing the necessary residence visa procedures. “We hope all the 10,000 undocumented Filipinos will avail the amnesty though our target will be 7,000 as some may still opt to stay,” stated Lomondot.

Amnesty period

The amnesty period for violators of residency law to leave the country from any port of the country without paying the relevant fines started on Jan 29 and will continue until Feb 22. In a press release issued by Ministry of Interior, Director General of General Department of Residency Affairs Major General Talal Ibrahim Marafie urged residents, who are in violation of the residency law, to take advantage of the humanitarian gesture made by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Lieutenant General Sheikh Khalid Al-Jarrah Al-Sabah who issued Ministerial Decision No. 64/2018 for granting this amnesty period.

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