40,000 illegal OFWs can still return to Saudi

MANILA, Philippines - The 38,939 undocumented Filipino workers who returned home from Saudi Arabia because of the kingdom’s crackdown on illegal migrants can now seek reemployment in the Middle East country.

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said these undocumented Filipino workers “who left during the seven-month correction period can return to the kingdom if they wish to do so.”

Among the workers who left during the correction period were those who ended their employment contracts.

Those with derogatory records, however, can no longer return to Saudi Arabia even if they left during the correction period, Baldoz said.

Currently, 157,494 undocumented Filipino workers in Saudi Arabia have regularized their status and can continue working there.

According to Baldoz, undocumented workers who were unable to regularize their status during the grace period may still do so but they have to pay fines and other penalties.

She also said that the Philippine government will provide legal assistance to illegal Filipino migrants who are undergoing deportation procedures in the kingdom.

Until this time, Baldoz said the Philippine government has not received any report of undocumented Filipinos being arrested because of Saudi’s crackdown against illegal migrants.

She also expressed confidence that Saudi Arabia’s crackdown on illegal migrants would have minimal impact to the Philippines’ employment rate because many illegal Filipino migrants were able to regularize their status and thousands were also able to leave during the grace period.

“The Saudi government and the Philippines have good relations, so we are not expecting problems with the crackdown,” Baldoz added.