Dubai, U.A.E.

[Puzlia]

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From Gulf News...

FYI... this might help us

New visa rules leave hundreds stranded
By Nina Muslim, Staff Reporter
Published: September 27, 2008, 23:40


Buraimi/Dubai: Hundreds of people, most of them Filipinos, are stranded in Oman and Iran after they failed to renew their visit visa, following new UAE visa regulations that took effect in July.

Buraimi in Oman and Kish Island in Iran are popular exit points for UAE visitors to repeatedly renew their visit visas after they expire. However, the visa rules state that those who wish to obtain a fresh visit visa to the UAE must leave for one month before being issued another visa.

The new regulations were implemented to prevent the abuse of the visit visa system, which many have used to enter the UAE to find jobs or work illegally.

Almost 700 Filipinos have been stranded as early as August, according to two travel agencies dealing with visit visa runs, not counting those from other travel agencies.


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Wilma, from Al Hedaya Travel and Tourism, told Gulf News they continued the visa runs, saying they were not informed of the new regulations directly and how this would affect their clients. "We kept sending people out of the country because we did not want them to overstay and pay the penalty. We later found out they could not come back," she said.

Emilia Bunoan, from Al Safa Tourism, agreed. "We didn't know they were going to be rejected. Most of them are Filipinos."

Although many of the Filipinos Gulf News talked to in Buraimi fell into the job-seeker or illegal worker category, a few did not.

Benito Valeriano, Philippine Consul-General in Dubai, told Gulf News he could not intervene on behalf of the stranded Filipinos in Buraimi and Kish as they were outside his jurisdiction.

"My advice to them is to seek assistance from our embassy in the countries where they are stranded. They will assess [their] case and if [they] cannot return to the UAE, they will be assisted to return to the Philippines," he said.

He added the Filipinos' plight has served as a wake-up call to many Filipinos, who have been coming into the UAE on visit visas to look for a job or work without legalising their status.

[bert]

4,000 Filipinos await visas in Kish - report
09/28/2008 | 10:23 AM
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MANILA, Philippines - Some 4,000 Filipinos are among more than 5,000 visa changers stranded on Kish Island in Iran since a new visa law in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) went into effect.

Online news site Khaleej Times reported that Filipinos prefer to go to Kish for visa change as Kish offers an affordable, easier and cheaper exit from the UAE.

Reza Ardalan, head of the Extension Office, Residence Permit Office in Kish, said before the implementation of the new UAE visa law, his office used to process an average of 70 applications for extension of their stay in Kish everyday.

"After this, specifically just before the start of Ramadan, the number of stranded visa changers has doubled to 150 daily," he said.

Before the new visa law, he said the Indians used to top the list. Now, he said they are second to Filipinos, followed by Arabs such as Moroccans, Egyptians, Ethiopians and others.

Most of the stranded Filipinos are male. Every month, at least five children come to apply for extension, he added.

Kish Island has 50 hotels catering to visitors, he said, but only 10 of them are affordable for visa changers. The rest are three-, four- and five-star hotels.

He said the problem is not with Iran, but with the immigration in the UAE, which grants multiple entry visas to as many as 70 to 80 per cent of visa changers daily.

He said people whose applications are on multiple entry have to wait 14 days to a month in Kish. They can stay on Kish without visa for 14 days, and can seek an extension of their stay for one month to three months at Dh80 per extension.

"All stranded visa changers are staying in hotels. Our law forbids tourists and foreigners from sleeping in private homes. If they are caught doing this, the police will arrest and jail them before deportation," he said.

He said less than five per cent of those stranded escape their obligation by requesting their passport from the hotel purportedly for extension of stay, but silently book their tickets upon receipt of their visa and leave. - GMANews.TV


You Know life in Kish Island is really very very hard especially if you do not have enough money. Every meal will cost you Dhs.7.00 + your hotel accomodation. I was on that island way back 2005, every morning you have to watch your tv screen hoping that your name will appear on the list of visa arrived from the UAE. By that time daghan na kaayo ang nag TNT, ang uban mamingwit na lang tawon aron naa silay makaon kung naay sobra ila ibaligya sa mga pinoy. So, what we did, nagtinabangay mi, kutob sa pinoy nga mobalik sa Dubai ila ihatag ang ilang extra money sa mga stranded nga mga kababayan nato.

By the way, during that time the validity of visit visa is 2 months and you can exit either in Iran, Oman or Qatar.

Ako ning gi share sa inyo ang akong experience, hoping that this will serve as an eye opener to those istoryans nga gustong moadto sa Dubai..

[janninat]

up for this...para dili na mo risk ang ato mga kababayan didto using visit visa...

[pogingpogi]

up for this...para dili na mo risk ang ato mga kababayan didto using visit visa...

Wala nang Visit Visa na mai-issue ngayon if you go through a travel agency. Those issued through by travel agencies are Tourist Visas only.

Pwede kang mabigyan ng Visit Visa kung may kapatid ka, anak, magulang o asawa na mag sponsor sa'yo.

Mga UAE nationals lang ang pwede mag sponsor ng kaibigan para mag Visit Visa.

Huwag po kayong maniwala sa mga nagsasabi na may Visit Visa pa kagaya nuong una.

Kung kayo ay may balak sumugal pumunta ng dubai, 'wag na wag na kayong tumuloy at andami ko nang nakikitang kawawang pilipino na kumakapit nalang sa 'pana' at patalim.

Marami na po dito kahit yung asawa nila ay kasiping na sa gabi, sa umaga naman ay iba ang kasiping.

Ganyan na po kahirap sa dubai, ang pangalang PILIPINA ay napakababa na sa paningin ng ibang lahi.

[bunhok]

anyone please help... ill be going to dubai on a visit visa this month... i have applied for work through my classmate in college in the company he is currently working... so, ill be working immediately and my employment visa will be processed by the company as soon as i will start working there... would i encounter any problem with regard to the current visit visa problems arising in UAE?...

[pogingpogi]

anyone please help... ill be going to dubai on a visit visa this month... i have applied for work through my classmate in college in the company he is currently working... so, ill be working immediately and my employment visa will be processed by the company as soon as i will start working there... would i encounter any problem with regard to the current visit visa problems arising in UAE?...

If this company is really intent on employing you, they should apply for a mission or employment visa for you and not on a visit visa.

It is illegal for a visit or tourist visa holder to work in the UAE and the company risk of getting fined up to 10K AED if caught while the worker gets jailed first then deported and banned.

With regards to your Q, it really depends on which company, may malakas ang WASTA at yung mga sumusugal lang dahil nagtitipid.

[skylee_swoop]

ang tanong kung sigurado ba na tatanggapin ka dun... eh kung hindi?
disadvantage pag naka visit or tourist visa and nagta-trabaho kay, prone talaga to abuse... pwede ka kase i-report pag nag demand ka.

buti nalang sis ko swerte the time she worked there with tourist visa kase french amo nya sa hyper panda. heheh... ngayon she's got working visa na in another company... ako naman working on my papers para sa dati nyang amo. hehehehe syempre working visa... mahirap kase palaging mag exit... gasto lang... sakit sa ulo.

[bunhok]

If this company is really intent on employing you, they should apply for a mission or employment visa for you and not on a visit visa.

It is illegal for a visit or tourist visa holder to work in the UAE and the company risk of getting fined up to 10K AED if caught while the worker gets jailed first then deported and banned.

With regards to your Q, it really depends on which company, may malakas ang WASTA at yung mga sumusugal lang dahil nagtitipid.

This is a belgian company its architectural head which is also a filipino already accepted my application...
the company lacks architectural workers coz 2 have recently resigned kya he told me to go there on a visit visa pra mas madali and would immediately process my employment visa as soon as i get there... is this possible? wla ba akong maging problema on this situation?

[bert]

This is a belgian company its architectural head which is also a filipino already accepted my application...
the company lacks architectural workers coz 2 have recently resigned kya he told me to go there on a visit visa pra mas madali and would immediately process my employment visa as soon as i get there... is this possible? wla ba akong maging problema on this situation?

it depends bro, if that Belgian company is the one sponsoring your tourist visa and will shoulder everything including your stay, then i don't see any problem, but if you are the one who applied that tourist visa from a travel agency then that is a gamble.
Its up to you to decide.
===Make sure you have a return flight ticket to the point of origin( Not a dummy ticket which the travel agency normally issued)
===Make sure you have enough pocket money (dollar/dirhams) for your stay their for a month.
Take note that accommodation in Dubai is very expensive.
Bear in mind also that tourist visa is valid only for one month.

Hope this will help you. Good Luck And God bless

[cottonmouth]

Diplomats seek talks to help stranded Filipinos - Travel & Hospitality - ArabianBusiness.com

http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidGN...eds%20stranded


Warning to all who planned to take the Tourist Visa scheme to work in Dubai.

Naa to ga advertise diri nga nag offer ug visit visa para maka work...dako to nga scam ayaw mo ato. Warning lang mga peeps.