The government of Kuwait grants a 45-day amnesty for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) that are illegally working or staying in Kuwait. Penalty and fines will be avoided by OFWs who will report their status to the Kuwait Embassy. Undocumented workers will also be given a chance to either legalize their documents or return to the Philippines

The amnesty that started last September 1 will be ending soon on October 15 but apparently only a few OFWs in Kuwait have availed of the rare offer. Reports said that out of the 20,000 OFWs in Kuwait with no proper documents, only 115 have

availed  of the amnesty.

De Castro said, “Filipinos working illegally in Kuwait should immediately avail of this rare chance to go home. On our part in the government, we should exhaust all means to shoulder the cost of transportation for those who decide to avail of the amnesty.”

The Vice President explained, “If they let go of this opportunity, they cannot leave Kuwait anymore without getting penalized and fined. Of course, that means trouble for them and for the government.”

A massive information campaign about the Kuwait is ordered by De Castro due to the low turn out of OFWs taking advantage of the offer. Filipinos who have friends or relatives that they know are staying illegal in Kuwait are included in the campaign since they are the ones with direct contact with them.

De Casto said, “I’m really urging relatives of the concerned OFWs to inform their kin in Kuwait regarding the amnesty and convince them to avail of it.”