The Philippine labor office in Dubai has released the results of the first application batch for its one-time AED 730 financial aid program, with 668 out of 822 submissions from Form 1 approved — even as a second wave of over a thousand applicants rushed to secure slots on May 1 before that window too was shut within the hour.
Of the 822 applications received through Form 1 on April 28, 109 were flagged for incomplete submissions and 45 were found ineligible, leaving 668 cleared for the cash grant. Approved applicants will receive an SMS notification from Al Ansari Exchange once their assistance is ready for collection at any of its branches across the UAE. A valid Emirates ID or passport must be presented upon payout.
Form 2, which opened today, May 1, at 8:00 A.M., drew an even larger response. The portal logged 1,027 applications before reaching its limit at 8:57 A.M. — less than an hour after going live. Of those who applied, 58.5% were female and 41.5% were male. Skilled workers made up 97.8% of applicants, with domestic workers accounting for the remaining 2.2%. An overwhelming 89% held visas issued in Dubai, while 11% came from other Emirates in the north. Salary reduction remained the top reason cited, at 44.7%, with the rest citing unpaid leave, termination, no work-no pay arrangements, unpaid salaries, and forced resignation.
The high demand came alongside a wave of public frustration. OFWs took to social media to criticize the limited slot count, the narrow application window, and technical difficulties that left some unable to submit despite being logged on at exactly 8:00 A.M. Many called on authorities to remove the time cap, extend the application period, and expand the number of slots to reflect the scale of those affected. One commenter pointed out that with hundreds of thousands of Filipinos in the UAE, 800 slots per session amounts to less than 1% of the total population.
Form 2 applicants will receive their results on or before Monday, May 4, at 11:59 P.M., through the email address registered during submission. No follow-up is required.
The next application window, Form 3, opens on Tuesday, May 5, at 8:00 A.M. The link will be posted on the MWO-Dubai Facebook page ahead of the opening. OFWs are urged to prepare all four required documents — the accomplished RFA Form, a copy of their passport bio page, proof of overseas employment, and proof of work disruption — before the form goes live, as slots are expected to fill quickly.
