The fourth and final application window for the Philippine government’s one-time AED 730 financial aid for overseas Filipino workers in Dubai shut down in just 20 minutes today, Friday, May 8, as data from the previous batch revealed the program’s best approval rate so far — even as the labor office confirmed there is no next scheduled form after today.
Form 4, which carried 1,100 slots and opened at 8:00 A.M. via two application links to ease portal congestion, closed at approximately 8:20 A.M. after all slots were filled. The same Google Drive heavy traffic error that plagued earlier sessions resurfaced, though some applicants confirmed they were able to get through despite the slowdown.
In a message to The Global Filipino Magazine today, Labor Attaché Atty. John Rio A. Bautista confirmed there is no next scheduled window beyond May 8. “Wala pa next sched. We will wait pa sa advise ng DMW about the budget,” he said. The statement reaffirms what he told TGFM earlier this week — that after May 8, the office would pause further releases pending fresh guidance and funding from the Department of Migrant Workers.
Form 3 data: highest approval rate across all batches
Data shared by Atty. Bautista with The Global Filipino Magazine shows that Form 3, released on May 5, recorded the highest approval rate of the program so far at 84.18% — with 857 out of 1,018 applications approved. Fifty-eight were permanently disqualified, while 103 were tagged as eligible to reapply.
Women accounted for 62.57% of Form 3 applicants (637), with men at 37.43% (381). In terms of civil status — a breakdown that was not included in earlier form statistics — 543 applicants were single (53.34%), 384 were married (37.72%), 64 were solo parents (6.29%), and 27 were separated (2.65%). Skilled and professional workers made up 97.45% (992) of the batch, with domestic workers at 2.55% (26).
Where applicants came from
Dubai-issued visas again dominated at 91.26% (929 applicants), followed by Sharjah at 3.83% (39), Fujairah at 1.67% (17), Ras Al Khaimah at 1.57% (16), Ajman at 1.38% (14), Abu Dhabi at 0.20% (2), and Umm Al Quwain at 0.10% (1).
Work disruption breakdown
Salary reduction remained the top reason at 45.87% (467 applicants). Termination or cancellation accounted for 20.33% (207), unpaid leave for 20.53% (209), no work-no pay for 8.94% (91), forced leave for 3.63% (37), and reduced work hours for 0.69% (7) — the last two categories appearing in the Form 3 breakdown for the first time.
Industry breakdown
Hospitality and tourism again led industry representation at 20.73% (211), followed by services at 12.18% (124), wholesale and retail trade at 12.28% (125), construction and real estate at 11.39% (116), education at 7.56% (77), food and beverage at 0% — notably absent from the Form 3 data compared to Form 2 — transport at 2.75% (28), health and wellness at 3.24% (33), manufacturing at 3.63% (37), domestic work at 1.18% (12), aviation at 0.69% (7), and oil and gas at 0.69% (7).
Where the program stands
Across all four forms, the program has now processed a combined total of approximately 3,885 applications — exceeding the 3,271-OFW initial funding allocation announced when the program launched on April 28. With the approval rates climbing from 81.27% in Form 1 to 84.18% in Form 3, the total number of OFWs who have received or will receive the AED 730 cash grant from the first four batches is expected to surpass 2,500 once Form 4 results are released.
Approved applicants collect the aid over the counter at any Al Ansari Exchange branch upon receiving an SMS notification from the remittance center. A valid Emirates ID or passport must be presented upon payout. OFWs who remain unapproved are advised to monitor the MWO-Dubai Facebook page for any announcement on future application windows once new DMW funding is confirmed.
