KUWAIT has announced the lifting of the visa ban on domestic workers from the Philippines after a year-long suspension due to violations of bilateral labor agreement.
Kuwait now allows the issuance of entry visas and work visas to Philippine nationals.
It has also opened its doors to the recruitment of Filipino domestic workers with prior overseas experience.
This decision was officially announced by Kuwait's Ministry of Interior at the official Kuna news agency on Sunday, June 24, 2024.
The visa ban was initially imposed in May last year after the murder of domestic worker Jullebee Ranara, whose charred body was discovered in the Kuwaiti desert in January 2023. This incident led to a halt in sending new Filipino workers to Kuwait, marking the latest in a series of disagreements between the two countries.
In 2020, the Philippines enforced a ban on its citizens working in Kuwait following the alleged killing of a Filipina by her employer. This event mirrored a 2018 dispute that began with the tragic discovery of a murdered Filipina maid in her employers' freezer. (Glaiza Mae Ouano, UP Tacloban intern)