Bahrain’s newly launched Flexi Visa is to benefit some 3,000 undocumented Filipinos in the Gulf State to correct their status.
The Department of Foreign Affairs said the Flexi Visa, which was launched on Monday, is a residence and work permit made available for those who have no legal immigration status in Bahrain, Rappler reported.
The Flexi Visa covers health insurance and a return ticket once the contract period has ended, or when the migrant worker wants to return to his or her country. The visa can be renewed every two years.
According to Sarah Lou Arriola, foreign undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs, runaway domestic workers in Bahrain will now be covered by the Flexi Visa program.
“This is in line with the DFA’s efforts to seek pathways for regularization of our Filipino workers, an implementation of the mandate of President Rodrigo Duterte to spare no effort to protect our nationals overseas,” Arriola said.