Due to security concerns, the Philippines banned the deployment of workers to Iraq in December 2007. The Philippines partially lifted its ban in 2012 by sending workers to Iraqi Kurdistan.[3] In 2013, The Philippines lifted the ban on the deployment of workers to Iraq except to the Iraqi provinces of Anbar, Ninewah, Nineveh and Kirkuk. The Deployment of household services workers is still in effect.[4][5][6]