A Filipino man who has illegally stayed in Dubai for eight years is set to return home to the Philippines. Francisco Pacheco, 58, went to Dubai on an employment visa in 1991 and worked as a fabricator in an aluminum company. In 2010, he lost his job when the company closed down, Khaleej Times reported.
Instead of returning to the Philippines, Pacheco went to Kish Island in Iran and returned to Dubai on a tourist visa. He tried to look for jobs but had difficulties because of his age.
He was able to get a part-time job in another aluminum factory that offered a salary of 100 dirhams (US$27) per day, or 2,600 dirhams ($700) a month. He said he chose to stay in Dubai to support his family despite having to stay illegally.
“If I returned home, I would have earned about only 36 dirhams daily, so I decided to stay here in Dubai,” Pacheco said.
In total, Pacheco worked in Dubai for 27 years, and his three children now have families of their own.
Pacheco decided to apply for amnesty, which lifted his overstay fines that amounted to tens of thousands of dirhams, and will be returning to the Philippines on Saturday.