100 OFWs from Kuwait back in PH after availing of visa amnesty program

Some 100 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) arrived in the Philippines over the weekend after availing of the Kuwaiti government's visa amnesty program, according to the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA).

The OFWs arrived via flights GF154 and GF156, the OWWA said.

Under the visa amnesty program, Filipinos with expired visas were given the chance to regularize their stay in Kuwait or return to the Philippines without paying fines.

"Maraming OFWs ang nakinabang sa pagkakataong ito upang makabalik sa kanilang mga pamilya sa Pilipinas nang walang karagdagang gastusin o abala," OWWA said in a statement.

(Many OFWs benefited from this program to return to their families in the Philippines without trouble and paying additional fees.)

OWWA said it is coordinating with the Philippine Embassy in Kuwait and the Migrant Workers Office to help facilitate the repatriation of the affected OFWs.

The Philippines earlier lauded the program as a "commendable step" toward resolving the issues faced by Filipinos in Kuwait whose visas have already expired.

The program runs from March 17 to June 17, 2024. —KBK, GMA Integrated News