Philippine Ambassador Alfonso A. Ver, together with Vice Consul Regatta Marie Antonio-Escutin and Vice Consul Kevin Mark Gomez receiving the first applicants of the amnesty. FACEBOOK/ PHILIPPINE EMBASSY IN UAE

The Migrant Workers Office (MWO) at the Philippine Consulate General (PCG) revealed that there are 146 cases of children in UAE born to unwed Filipino parents who do not have birth certificates. These cases were recorded during the first 12 days of the ongoing UAE amnesty programme. According to the Philippine authority, these undocumented children were born to overstaying parents who were not married. The children's ages range from one to five years old and there are also infants. In the UAE, a marriage license is required to obtain birth certificates, which complicates the process for unmarried women seeking to register their children. With this, many unmarried Filipino parents have taken advantage of the ongoing visa amnesty program to secure identification for their children. The amnesty not only covers expired visas but also includes foreigners born in the UAE whose parents have not registered their residency within four months of birth. Currently, the MWO and the Philippine missions in the UAE are processing the cases of these children. Officials said that the number could increase, as the amnesty for overstayers has more than a month and a half remaining. The Philippine missions in the UAE are providing assistance to overstaying Filipinos who are currently availing the amnesty programme. In its first week, the Philippine missions assisted 2,053 overstaying Filipinos. They also facilitated the repatriation of 109 individuals, with the first batch arriving in the Philippines on September 13 and the second batch on September 20. For overstayers who wish to regularise their status and apply for amnesty, here's a full guide: FLE/Expat Media
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