| New visa scheme to give Filipinos edge in getting 200,000 new jobs in Dubai |
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17 April 2009 A group of manpower exporters said the proposed visa scheme to benefit foreign employers of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) will give the Philippines an advantage in cornering the 200,000 job opportunities in Dubai. The Federated Association of Manpower Exporters (FAME) said the proposed visa scheme to give multiple-entry visas to foreign employers of OFWs will make the Philippines a more attractive source of manpower over other countries like India, China and other Asian countries. FAME Executive Director Lito Soriano said the proposal to give multiple-entry visas to foreign employers who employ at least 100 OFWs would increase the Philippines' advantage in cornering the 200,000 job opportunities in Dubai. Soriano explained that certain nationalities, like Lebanese and Egyptians, who are in charge of hiring foreign workers for the companies they work for find it hard to come to the Philippines to hire OFWs. Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Marcelino C. Libanan is supporting the proposed new visa scheme for foreign employers of OFWs, which will bolster the BI's role in attracting more foreign investments and creating jobs while safeguarding the Philippines from undesirable foreigners. Libanan has already called for a consultation between the manpower industry, DOLE and other stakeholders to draft the proposal to the Office of the President to create the multiple-entry visa scheme for foreign employers who employ at least 100 OFWs. BI has recently launched the special visa for job generation (SVEG) which grants indefinite stay visas to foreign nationals who employ at least 10 Filipinos in their legitimate businesses in the Philippines. The SVEG is expected to generate at least 100,000 jobs in its first year alone. In President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's visit to Dubai during the weekend, she received a manifesto from foreign employers based in the United Arab Emirates for at least 200,000 job opportunities in Dubai. But the 200,000 job opportunities are not necessarily reserved for Filipino workers. Although foreign employers favor Filipino workers over other nationalities, the competition to land a job in Dubai is expected to be tough with the global economic crisis affecting almost every household in the world. (BI News) |
