Stricter Egypt Immigration Measures Enforced

Citing a report from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), POEA administrator Hans Cacdac said in a phone interview yesterday the Egyptian government will no longer allow foreign tourist to convert their tourist visas into work permits once they arrive in the North African country.

“The new ruling is implemented to curb human trafficking into Egypt and to lessen the influx of tourist workers thereby protecting the jobs of Egyptian nationals,” Cacdac said.

He said, while Egypt is not among the major receiving countries for OFWs, the measure is a welcome development since it will help reduce the cases of human trafficking in the Philippines.

“We welcome this development since it shows their acknowledgement of other countries to the government’s campaign to reduce the number OFWs, who are being victimized by human trafficking syndicates,” Cacdac said.