DMW: Filipinos affected by visa ban in Kuwait to receive ₱30,000

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 19) – The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) on Friday said each of the 815 Filipinos directly affected by the recent suspension of visa issuance in Kuwait will receive financial assistance worth ₱30,000.

“This will hopefully help their families and also offset some of the costs involved in their application process,” DMW Secretary Toots Ople said in a press briefing.

Ople said these are Filipinos who already have an Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC) and just awaiting flights to Kuwait. Out of the 815 affected, Ople said 514 were supposed to leave the country as experienced domestic workers.

Meanwhile, DMW Undersecretary Hans Leo Cacdac said the agency will also provide livelihood and employment assistance to the affected Filipino workers.

“As we speak there is profiling of each and every affected worker in terms of finding out their skill sets as well as job preferences,” he said.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) earlier confirmed that only Filipinos with valid resident visas are allowed to enter the Gulf state effective May 10.

READ: Kuwait suspends issuance of visas for Filipinos

The reason for the visa suspension remains undisclosed but DFA Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega earlier said it is likely because of the 2018 agreement between the two nations allowing the Philippine embassy to serve as a shelter for Filipino workers escaping from their employers.

READ: DFA firm with keeping shelter in Kuwait open

Without disclosing the details of the bilateral talks with the Kuwaiti government that occurred from May 16 to 17, Ople said she is optimistic that the visa issuance suspension in Kuwait will be resolved soon.