UAE: Overstayers with court cases can still get visa amnesty, say legal experts

Social workers and immigration experts are urging people overstaying in the UAE with ongoing legal issues to focus on regularising their residency status before addressing their court cases. Many of these individuals remain unaware that they can still benefit from visa amnesty despite unresolved legal matters.

“First, regularise your status and become a legal resident then, handle your case. Don't delay. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," advised Masiuddin Mohammed from the Quality Government Service Centre in DIP 1.

Abdullah Kamampalam, a social worker in Sharjah, shared that some people delayed applying for the amnesty due to the misconception that they're not qualified because of their ongoing cases. He also added, “Many of them still haven’t regularised their status because they were expecting an extension, while others couldn’t because they don't have valid passports."

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'This extension is a huge help'

Immigration experts also noted that some visitors experienced delays in the early days of the amnesty due to a lack of fingerprint records in the immigration system, particularly for those who entered on visit visas.

“Visitors whose fingerprints were not saved in the system had to go to the GDRFA tent in Al Awir to regularise their status. Overstayers on visit visas were not initially fingerprinted, so regularisation at Amer centres wasn't possible,” explained Mohammed.

According to a spokesperson for Al Hijrah Businessmen Services, a government transaction centre in Dubai Airport Freezone, though they saw a significant rush in the last week, the extension of the amnesty scheme was anticipated. He noted that it's "a pattern" of the government to give people as much time as possible, just to make sure everyone goes through the right channels.

“I have seen it before in different sectors, and I was hoping they would do the same with the amnesty to help more people take advantage of it. This extension is a huge help for people to regularise their status,” said the spokesperson.

'This is your final opportunity'

Kamampalam recounted the stories of two individuals facing challenges in regularising their status due to missing documents. One was a business owner whose name was on a trade license, but whose passport had expired. “He had to apply for his visa but didn’t have a valid passport. The passport renewal process took time, which left him as an illegal resident,” said Kamampalam.

Another case involved a woman who worked as a stylist in Abu Dhabi. “She worked at a salon for nearly six months. Her visa was issued but wasn’t stamped in her passport because she had lost it after the visa issuance. She had to return to her home country on a travel document recently and is now returning with a new passport,” noted Kamampalam.

• UAE amnesty: Illegals rush to regularise status, avoid overstay fines