Kuwait’s amnesty program ends Feb. 22

The Kuwaiti government’s amnesty program allowing undocumented overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to process the necessary documents to legally work in Kuwait without incurring any penalties is good only until Feb. 22.

The Department of Foreign Affairs-Office of Migrant Workers Affairs (DFA-OMWA) sent yesterday an additional rapid response team (RRT) to Kuwait to augment the efforts of the first team and provide more support to the Philippine embassy there before the amnesty program closes.

The RRTs are expected to wrap up operations by Feb. 28.

The teams and the Assistance-to-Nationals group from the Philippine embassy have doubled their efforts to process travel documents, conduct interviews with the applicants for amnesty and respond to appeals for rescue from distressed Filipinos in Kuwait.

DFA-OMWA and the embassy aims to assist as many workers as possible who wish to avail themselves of the Kuwaiti government’s amnesty.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said the Philippines had asked the Kuwaiti government to extend the program for undocumented workers for three more months.

Cayetano discussed the government’s request for extension during a meeting with Kuwaiti Ambassador Saleh Ahmad Althwaik at the DFA on Thursday.

A crackdown on undocumented foreign workers in Kuwait is seen after the deadline of the amnesty program passes.