Overstaying Pinoys in UAE cautioned vs scammers

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – With the ongoing amnesty for overstayers down to its last days, Filipinos seeking to avail of the program have been cautioned against making hasty, last-minute decisions and fall victims instead to scammers preying on them.

This, following accounts about incidents where those who supposedly have their legal papers in order and have exited, or will temporarily leave the country as required, were denied re-entry or offloaded at the airport by UAE Immigration for insufficient documents. 

“Merong mga nare-regularize na pero naloloko pa rin. Pagbalik (sa airport) nahaharang, ayaw papasukin,” Ambassador Alfonso A. Ver, head of the Philippine missions in the UAE, told GMA News Online in a phone interview.

Labor Attaché John Rio Bautista, for his part, said amnesty seekers should exercise utmost caution and transact with legitimate channels.

“I advise all Filipinos seeking amnesty and have opted to stay through visa conversion to make sure that the companies they are dealing with are legitimate and that they will be given proper visa,” he said.

Volunteers assisting amnesty seekers in having their papers sorted said there have been unscrupulous people “selling” visas to unsuspecting and ill-informed overstayers, the practice of which is not allowed by law. 

Employment visas can only be obtained after a would-be employer have submitted all three requirements to the UAE government – offer letter of employment, employment contract and establishment certificate attesting that the company is legal.

It is required for job applicants to exit UAE while their employment or residence visas are being processed. They can also opt not to leave the country provided they pay a certain fee.

Ver, in a previous interview, said they were expecting an uptick in the number of overstayers going home under the Philippine government’s repatriation program as the Oct. 31, 2024 amnesty deadline draws near.

“We’re expecting more will be going home. In fact, we may have two flights,” he said.

The two-month amnesty program started on Sept. 1, 2024. The program, which waives all fines and penalties, gives overstayers two options: Go home to their country with a clean slate and come back later to start fresh should they decide so; or stay in the UAE provided they are legally employed. —KBK, GMA Integrated News