More than 65, 000 “illegal” foreign household service workers were arrested in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 2011, the news site Emirates 24|7 said.
Citing a report from the news daily Alittihad, Emirates 24|7 said on Wednesday Brigadier Saeed Rakan Al Rashdi, director of the illegal migrants follow-up division of the Ministry of Interior, disclosed that many of those arrested were caught through information from the public as part of the campaign dubbed “Sahim” (or contribute).
Al Rashdi said “a large number of those illegal migrants handed themselves over to the police after failing to find work,” the report said.
He added that under new federal laws, those who employ illegal entrants face a two-month imprisonment and a fine of Dh100,000.
In previous reports, the Department of Naturalization and Residency Dubai (DNRD) said domestic workers “must be sponsored by their recruiters.”
Employers who hire “illegal housemaids,” or those who are not on their sponsorship, face a fine of Dh50, 000 (over P550,000). Domestic workers employed illegally also face punishment.
‘Almost unaffordable’
In a special report last November, Emirates 24|7 said UAE residents find it “almost unaffordable” to hire full-time household helpers because its cost “continues to increase while their income has not.”
For example, the Al Ahliya Agency charges around Dh8, 150 for getting a maid from the Philippines, the fee intended for processing documents and a one-way air fare to the UAE.
Visa charges, according to an executive at the agency, “is to be paid by the sponsor.” Employers have to pay their Filipino household helpers Dh1,000-Dh1,100.
Emirates 24|7 said many prefer getting maids by word-of-mouth because “one can save on agency commission and other charges.”
The report, however, added that the minimum salaries set by the embassies “is not a norm now” because most maids in New Dubai “get more than what is set by the embassies.”
According to Gaurangi Pradhan, a mother of two, “the housemaid category is the most pampered among the other unskilled laborer categories” because they have the privileges of free accommodation, food, and timely salary.
“The recruitment agencies are often the biggest culprits as they charge sourcing fees from us as well as they take money from the maids,” she said.
Statistics from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) show that more than 13,000 Filipinos were deployed to the UAE under the “Household Service Workers” category last year, making the Arab country the third top destination for these workers.
Source: GMA News
Citing a report from the news daily Alittihad, Emirates 24|7 said on Wednesday Brigadier Saeed Rakan Al Rashdi, director of the illegal migrants follow-up division of the Ministry of Interior, disclosed that many of those arrested were caught through information from the public as part of the campaign dubbed “Sahim” (or contribute).
Al Rashdi said “a large number of those illegal migrants handed themselves over to the police after failing to find work,” the report said.
He added that under new federal laws, those who employ illegal entrants face a two-month imprisonment and a fine of Dh100,000.
In previous reports, the Department of Naturalization and Residency Dubai (DNRD) said domestic workers “must be sponsored by their recruiters.”
Employers who hire “illegal housemaids,” or those who are not on their sponsorship, face a fine of Dh50, 000 (over P550,000). Domestic workers employed illegally also face punishment.
‘Almost unaffordable’
In a special report last November, Emirates 24|7 said UAE residents find it “almost unaffordable” to hire full-time household helpers because its cost “continues to increase while their income has not.”
For example, the Al Ahliya Agency charges around Dh8, 150 for getting a maid from the Philippines, the fee intended for processing documents and a one-way air fare to the UAE.
Visa charges, according to an executive at the agency, “is to be paid by the sponsor.” Employers have to pay their Filipino household helpers Dh1,000-Dh1,100.
Emirates 24|7 said many prefer getting maids by word-of-mouth because “one can save on agency commission and other charges.”
The report, however, added that the minimum salaries set by the embassies “is not a norm now” because most maids in New Dubai “get more than what is set by the embassies.”
According to Gaurangi Pradhan, a mother of two, “the housemaid category is the most pampered among the other unskilled laborer categories” because they have the privileges of free accommodation, food, and timely salary.
“The recruitment agencies are often the biggest culprits as they charge sourcing fees from us as well as they take money from the maids,” she said.
Statistics from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) show that more than 13,000 Filipinos were deployed to the UAE under the “Household Service Workers” category last year, making the Arab country the third top destination for these workers.
Source: GMA News
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