Undocumented OFWs in Oman urged to Avail of Amnesty Till June 30
From April 1 to June 30, 2015, overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) illegally staying in Oman can avail of an amnesty period to rectify their status there, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said Monday.
Philippine Labor Attaché Nasser Mustafa said the three-month amnesty is part of Oman’s efforts to regulate the presence of foreign workers there.
“This amnesty will also help foreign workers who are willing to stay and work in Oman, but subject to the guidelines under the labor law promulgated by the Sultanate’s Royal Decree 35/2003,” Mustafa said in his report to Manila.
He said Oman’s Ministry of Manpower recently briefed labor attachés of foreign embassies in Muscat about the amnesty.
But in the meantime, Mustafa also said the Ministry and the Royal Oman Police have been conducting raids against undocumented migrant workers, tightening controls on work permits and tenancy contracts, and scrutinizing landlords and their tenants.
This prompted DOLE Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz to urge OFWs in Oman to avail of the amnesty.
“I strongly urge our OFWs in Oman who, for various reasons, have been staying illegally in the Sultanate, to avail of this amnesty and go home to the Philippines or correct their stay to avoid the repercussion of their being illegal foreigners in Oman,” Baldoz said.
‘Drawback’
Mustafa also said the Oman Ministry of Manpower has advised the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) and Philippine Embassy representatives to be at the Ministry every day.
“A small drawback of the amnesty program is that repatriated workers under the amnesty program cannot return to Oman within three years from the time they were repatriated,” he said.
Under the amnesty:
– registration of Filipino nationals shall be at the POLO.
– all required documents of OFWs who want to avail of the amnesty program shall be prepared by the POLO, which will endorse it to the Oman Ministry of Manpower.
– employers/sponsors of illegal workers will also be asked to comment in writing amnesty applications. If employers/sponsors fail to comply, the worker will be repatriated.
– penalty for overstaying and money claims of employers’ expenses during the deployment of workers will be waived.
– applicants will need to have themselves finger printed, except children aged 18 years and below.
– applicants whose documents were received by the Oman Ministry of Manpower must leave the Sultanate within one month.
Past amnesties
The DOLE noted that Oman offered an amnesty in 2009. That amnesty lasted until the start of 2011 and helped more than 60,000 overstaying workers to go home without facing legal action. It added there had been similar amnesties in 2005 and 2007.
But in April 2014, Omani authorities established new measures to help uncover undocumented migrant workers.
“Officials carried out raids on expat homes, put tighter controls on work permits and tenancy contracts, and placed landlords and their tenants to more scrutiny as part of the crackdown,” it said.
Meanwhile, Mustafa said the POLO in Oman has 15 wards, six of whom have plane tickets and are in the priority list of repatriates.
He asked the DOLE’s assistance to get tickets for the other nine workers. “We can expect zero wards this month,” he said.