# Phillipine maid



## Fdbob (Jan 25, 2016)

Hi can anyone help I have a Philippine girlfriend working in Abu Dhabi as a maid she hates it and doesn't have a passport she has only been there 3 months
They took her passport and can't leave I will buy ticket.
Any suggestions please


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## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

She needs to go to the Philippine embassy as she can't travel without any travel documents.


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## pakawala (Sep 10, 2014)

Fdbob said:


> Hi can anyone help I have a Philippine girlfriend working in Abu Dhabi as a maid she hates it and doesn't have a passport she has only been there 3 months
> They took her passport and can't leave I will buy ticket.
> Any suggestions please


It's mandated by law that OFWs, Fiancée Visa recipients, etc. etc. all receive pre departure briefings, they must prove they had the briefing or they are not cleared to depart. They instruct them what to do in that circumstance and she will know exactly what to do. Be careful if they took her passport as collateral for a loan she may have taken and is asking for that type of help to pay so she can get her passport back. Otherwise, she will know what to do from the briefings. 

Pre-Departure Orientation Seminar | OVERSEAS WORKERS WELFARE ADMINISTRATION

Pre-Departure Registration and Orientation Seminars | Commission on Filipinos Overseas


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## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

Pakawala makes a good point, does the girl friend owe money to the employer, such as plan ticket costs and any other costs for her arrival, they could be out some money if she leaves after only 3 months of employment, if that debt was paid you could work out a deal for the passport. When all else fails she may need to use her Philippine Embassy, I've heard some stories of agents there on the news... not so good either, what a crazy world.


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## hogrider (May 25, 2010)

Even though strictly speaking her employer is not allowed to take her passport away from her, it is nearly always the case here. She will almost certainly have come in through an agency and her employer will have paid considerable amount in air fares, visa costs and agency fees. It is extremely unlikely that they will be willing to to just let her leave after only 3 months.
You didn't say anything about why she is hating it. If she is being mistreated or abused, unfortunately not uncommon here in the Gulf countries, she must seek address through her Embassy.
Its a tough situation but if you are only her boyfriend it is gonna be difficult for you to get involved. These type of relationships, i.e. not married, are illegal here and carry severe penalties for anyone that gets caught. Could be all sorts of questions aimed at both of you, be careful. Does she have friends or family members in Abu Dhabi that can help?


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## ILoveAFilipina (Dec 21, 2012)

1) How well do you know this lady? Living in KL and there are lots of Filipino maids here and invariably they all 'hate' their jobs. If she is being mistreated/abused/overworked then she should leave - but make sure this is really the case and it's not just a case of her not liking the job or being homesick! 

My wife got me involved in 'rescuing' a Filipino maid here who claimed that she was working 20 hours a day. Well it turns out she was an extremely adapt liar and super lazy to boot. I have no way of knowing whether the family she as with really were working her as hard as she said. I believed her at the time but her subsequent behavior makes me thinks a lot of stuff was exaggerated. 

Quite a few maids here 'run-away' shortly after getting here because they think a better (easier) opportunity lies around the corner - but often (as they then technically become illegal immigrants) they get really exploited by their next employer, who can use their immigration status against them - so its often a case of jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire. 

As others have said if the employer your GF is working for recruited her from an Agency, then it is likely that they did pay big up front fees as well as the flight tickets - so you really need to know if your GF is really being mistreated/abused/overworked (and the circumstances of her employment) before you encourage her to proceed. 

2) If you are certain that she is really unhappy in her situation and she cannot bring it up with her employers then she should approach the Filipino Embassy who are experienced in advising on such matters. She will not be able to leave without any travel documents and she will only be able to get those from the embassy (unless she can come to some agreement with the employers). While you may buy the ticket for her to leave as others have said she may still owe the employers money - so you need to check on the status of that. 

I have another Filipina acquaintance who entered Malaysia on a 'student visa' but has been working as a domestic staff. She now wants to go home but has radically overstayed her visa. Even if someone bought her a ticket to leave she would get arrested at the airport. Anyway, in this case she approached the Philippines Embassy here and they agreed to support her return (and prevent her being arrested at the airport) if she pays the relevant fine.

Just buying a plane ticket for your GF to leave could actually add to the problem as the poster above also indicated.

Tricky situation and hard to advise without more info...


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