(Eagle News) – The Department of Foreign Affairs said undocumented Filipino workers in Kuwait have only until April 12 to register for repatriation, and is urging them not to wait until the last minute to do this.
The department announced the new deadline after it noted a drop in the number of undocumented Filipino workers registering for repatriation after Kuwait announced a two-month extension that expires on April 22.
The DFA said it is important for OFWs in Kuwait who want to go home to the country not to wait until the last minute to register for repatriation.
“Our kababayans 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.
Ambassador to Kuwait Renato Villa also echoed the appeal.
“We are appealing to our kababayans to go to the Embassy as soon as possible and get themselves registered,” he said. “We want to make sure no one is left behind.”
-DFA discourages “last minute” registrants-
Villa said undocumented workers should register as soon as possible so they could be immediately be flown home.
“It takes at least 10 days to process the documents of our kababayans and get the necessary clearances from Kuwaiti authorities before we can put them on the plane to Manila,” Ambassador Villa said.
“Filipinos always want to do things at the last minute but in this case, we cannot be expected to handle a deluge of applications especially during the last few days of the amnesty period,” Ambassador Villa said.
Since Kuwait announced a two-month extension to their amnesty for overstaying foreign workers, Villa said the number of Filipinos registering themselves with the Embassy has gone down.
DFA undersecretary Arriola said that a total of 3,668 Filipinos have been flown home since February 11 this year when the Philippine Embassy started repatriating undocumented workers who availed themselves of Kuwait’s amnesty program.
But the DFA is concerned with the more than 6,000 undocumented workers who still have not signed up for repatriation, and who might be waiting until the last few days before the amnesty deadline, she said.