The deadline for illegal Filipino workers, including housemaids, to benefit from their country’s Financial Assistance Programme ends tomorrow. The Philippines government announced last month it would pay the flexible work permit fees to help its citizens legalise their status in Bahrain.
The embassy will pay the BD449 flexible work permit application fee on their behalf, as well as the recurring monthly fee of BD30 for the first two months and a BD5 registration charge.
The move was aimed at regularising the status of at least 3,000 of its undocumented workers living in the kingdom.
The embassy said 81 irregular Filipino workers received their Blue Cards last month with the embassy footing the bill of their new work permits.
Ambassador Alfonso Ver pointed out that the partnership between Bahrain and the Philippines governments provided a new lifeline for illegal Filipino workers.
He urged them to maintain their legal status by keeping their monthly payments up to date.
“A total of 402 Filipino workers have benefited from the joint programme of the Labour Market Regulatory Authority and the Philippine Embassy,” said a statement. – Migrant Forum in Asia (mfa)
