The Kuwaiti government's decision to halt the issuing of entrance visas to Filipinos only applies to new ones, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).
This means that anyone with existing entry visas will be able to enter Kuwait, and efforts are being made to ensure that airlines are aware of this.
The DFA, in a statement, confirmed that "the Kuwaiti government has suspended the issuance of new entry visas for Philippine nationals into Kuwait."
According to the DFA, the Philippines remains committed to amicably addressing and resolving bilateral concerns with all countries.
In the case of Kuwait, the DFA stated that "with our friendly relations and strong people-to-people links, we shall be able to find a mutually satisfactory solution that will take into account the need to provide maximum protection and access to justice for all our nationals working in the country."
Meanwhile, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) on Friday asked impacted overseas Filipino workers to contact the National Reintegration Center for OFW hotlines at 09567821309 and 09603532532 or email [email protected] for assistance.
The DMW has pledged to employ "labor diplomacy" to resolve disputes between the host government and the Philippines.
The Kuwaiti government banned the issuing of entry and work permits to Filipinos on May 10 due to alleged violations of a bilateral treaty.
Kuwait's decision may have a negative impact on between 3,000 and 15,000 Kuwait-bound OFWs, depending on the length of the ban, said the local recruiters.
For the record, there are around 290,000 OFWs in Kuwait.
