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Combating coronavirus: How Filipinos in UAE can apply for Covid-19 cash aid

Dubai - A downloadable application form, as well as the guidelines, is now up on the Polo Dubai website.

A one-time cash aid of Dh730 shall be given to Filipino expats whose employments were affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. However, guidelines released by the Philippine labour department clarified that only those who were displaced because of the crisis are eligible.
The Philippine Overseas Labour Offices (Polo) in Dubai and Abu Dhabi are now accepting applications through a form set up on their websites, www.polodubaiportal.org and www.poloabudhabi.weebly.com.
To qualify for the financial assistance programme - dubbed 'DOLE-AKAP for Overseas Filipino Workers' - expats must have experienced job displacement because of the pandemic and must not have received any financial support from their host countries or employers, according to the guidelines.
Documents, such as an accomplished form, passport copy, proof of employment and proof of loss of employment, must be sent to the Polo in Dubai or Abu Dhabi. Since the Philippine Embassy and Consulate-General are still closed in line with the UAE's #StayHome directive, requirements can now be submitted online.
In a Facebook post, Philippine Consul-General Paul Raymund Cortes on Friday shared a graphic on how the process would go.
After the submission of requirements, Polo will evaluate the application within five working days.

If approved, the cash aid will be processed and then released via bank transfer or remittance. If the application is not approved, the expat will be informed.
How to apply:
> Check if you meet the eligibility requirements.
- Must have experienced job displacement because of the Covid-19 pandemic
- Must not have received any financial support/assistance from the host country or your employer

> Download and fill out the application form from www.polodubaiportal.org or www.poloabudhabi.weebly.com.

> Prepare the other required documents:
-Passport copy with employment visa
-Proof of overseas employment (verified employment contract or overseas employment certificate etc). Only one document is required.
Proof of loss of employment (notice of termination because of Covid-19)
-For overseas Filipino workers whose case resolutions were pended because of Covid-19, you may submit the case reference number, or case endorsement stamped by Polo, among others

> Upload the form and the requirements on Polo's online channel
kirstin@khaleejtimes.com