The Philippine labor office in Dubai received 822 applications for its one-time AED 730 financial assistance program in just 20 minutes on Tuesday, underscoring the scale of demand among Filipino workers hit by the ongoing Middle East crisis.
Form No. 1 opened at 8:00 A.M. on April 28 and reached its slot limit by 8:20 A.M., triggering an automatic closure of the online portal. The figures released by MWO-Dubai show that 64% of applicants were female and 36% were male. The overwhelming majority — 98.4% — were skilled workers, with domestic workers accounting for the remaining 1.6%. Geographically, 93.6% of applicants held visas issued in Dubai, while 6.4% came from other Emirates in the north.
Salary reduction was the most cited reason for applying, accounting for 41.7% of submissions. The rest cited unpaid leave, termination, no work-no pay arrangements, unpaid salaries, and forced resignation as grounds for their applications.
Those who managed to submit will receive the result of their application on or before Friday, May 1, 2026, at 11:59 P.M., through the email address they registered in the form. Approved applicants will also receive an SMS notification from Al Ansari Exchange once their cash assistance is ready for collection at any of its branches across the UAE. A valid Emirates ID or passport must be presented upon payout.
OFWs who missed Tuesday’s window will have another chance when Form No. 2 opens on Friday, May 1, at 8:00 A.M. The link will be posted on the MWO-Dubai Facebook page ahead of the opening. Authorities are encouraging applicants to have all their documents ready before the form goes live to avoid delays during submission.
