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Call for agency to check legal status of expats

ABU DHABI — There is need to set up a national authority to check the legality of residence status of non-nationals and crack down on illegals, Mohammed Yousuf , head of the UAE Journalists’ Association has said.

Yousuf shared this view in interviews conducted by the Ministry of Interior and the General Police Directorate with a number of senior journalists on the topic of amnesty.

Yousuf said inspection campaigns should continue to be conducted against illegals and there is a need to keep a tab on the residence status of non-nationals.

Neville Parker, deputy editor of Khaleej Times, commended the decision taken by the Ministry of Interior to grant grace period to the illegals to legalise their status or leave the country without receiving any punishment or paying fines.

“The UAE came up with an ideal and civilized manner in handling issues related to illegal residents,” he said, adding that the move helped the local labour market getting rid of several problems caused by illegal workers, which had a negative impact on the national economy.

Parker also stressed on the importance of inspections to monitor the status of expatriate labour force in the country, especially on farms and in remote areas.

Habeeb Al-Sayegh, bureau chief of Al Khaleej Arabic newspaper in Abu Dhabi said the offering of grace period to illegals to regulate their status was a very good gesture from the government.

Al Sayegh further noted that the inspection campaign against illegals would greatly contribute to regulate the labour market and enhance efforts to correct the demographic imbalance, especially as nearly 10 per cent of the population reportedly comprised illegals.

He stressed on the importance of raising awareness on the provisions of the labour law of the country. The law, he suggested, should also be translated into Urdu, Persian and Pushtu languages.