Ambassador Hails Noor Dubai Eye Care Initiative in Lankan Areas

DUBAI - Filipino expatriates in the UAE have been cautioned against accepting offers from facilitators for change in their visa status without checking the authenticity of the agencies and understanding the terms of the offer, in order to avoid being stranded in Oman or Iran.

By Lily B. Libo-on

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Published: Sun 25 Jan 2009, 12:52 AM

Last updated: Mon 6 Apr 2015, 1:42 AM

The caution was sounded by Consul Adelio Cruz of the Assistance To Nationals (ATN) at the Philippine Embassy during ‘Kamayan”, the regular monthly meeting between the embassy officials and members of the Filipino communities in Abu Dhabi Friday.

Cruz, who had visited the stranded workers in Al Buraimi twice, reiterated the embassy’s warning and urged Filipino visa applicants in the UAE to identify properly their agencies and to avoid submitting multiple applications.

He noted that several delays in the processing of visas at the Naturalisation and Residency Department occured because the applicants submitted multiple applications when they did not get their visas soon. “Filipino visa applicants must understand that all UAE offices are computerised and linked with one another and multiple applications are not effective in ensuring the granting of new tourist visas,” he stressed.

In the meeting, Minister and Consul General Noel Servigon clarified that applications for UAE visit and tourist visas are not coursed through the Philippine embassy.

“Applicants deal directly with the Immigration authorities in UAE and the UAE embassy in Manila.”

Earlier, the Philippine government issued a travel advisory for Filipinos not to exit to either Iran or Oman after their visa expires to avoid being stranded.

Instead, they are advised to go back to Manila and apply from there for a new tourist visa.

He advised Filipinos applying for UAE employment visas to register with the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) in Manila so that their employers and sponsors would be properly verified before coming to UAE.

lily@khaleejtimes.com


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