Repatriation OFWs in Kuwait hastened

UNDOCUMENTED Filipinos in Kuwait who want to return to the Philippines have until April 12 to register in order for them to avail of the two-month extension the Kuwaiti government granted last February, the Department of Foreign Affairs announced Thursday.

DFA issued the deadline after the Philippine Embassy reported a drop in the number of undocumented Filipino workers registering for repatriation after Kuwait announced the extension that would end on April 22.

The Kuwaiti government in February agreed to extend the amnesty offered to overstaying Filipinos which was originally scheduled to end on February 21.

The decision was made after Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano formally conveyed the extension request to Kuwaiti Ambassador to Manila Musaed Saleh Ahmad Althwaikh.

The extension would allow the Philippine embassy in Kuwait to accommodate more of the 10,800 Filipinos believed to have overstayed their visas or ran away from their employers.

“Our countrymen in Kuwait must realize that we cannot do things overnight and they should not wait until the last minute before they sign up for repatriation,” Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Sarah Lou Arriola said.

Based on DFA records, 3,668 Filipinos who availed of the amnesty have been returned to the Philippines since the repatriation program for undocumented Filipinos started in February.

DFA has expressed concern about the more than 6,000 undocumented workers who still have not signed up for repatriation and may have been waiting until the last minute to meet the amnesty deadline.

Ambassador to Kuwait Renato Villa said the April 12 deadline was sent to the DFA to make sure that all necessary documents and clearances would be processed before the end of the amnesty.

Villa explained that the processing of documents needed for repatriation would take 10 days and if applicants would do things at the last minute, chances are they would not be able to meet the deadline.

“So we are appealing to our countrymen to go to the embassy as soon as possible and get themselves registered. We want to make sure no one is left behind,” he said.