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Amnesty Extension Gives Reason to Smile

The scheme provides a lifeline for many overstayers to regularise their status or leave the country without any ramifications

The UAE announced one of its most lenient amnesty schemes ever earlier this year. Starting September 1, visa violators were allowed to regularise their status or leave the country without any ramifications. In previous amnesties, those who chose to leave the country would have a ban, which prevented them from returning to the country.

The scheme, which provided a lifeline for many overstayers, was initially announced for two months and then on October 31, was extended till the end of the year. One person who benefited from the extension was Filipina expat Jen. After being cheated out of money, the amnesty provided a golden opportunity to her.

“However, it was hard to find a job,” she said.

“I explored many ways but nothing was working out. Sensing my desperation, my children offered to stop studying so that I could go back to the Philippines in peace. But I was determined to stay on provide for my family.”

Although Jen did manage to find a job, the documentation took longer than expected, especially because of the last minute rush in October as the amnesty was coming to an end. “On October 31, I was still waiting for my visa to come through,” she recalled.

“But it was getting delayed. I spent the entire day next to my phone. The company said that the worst case scenario was that I could fly back home and then come back when the visa was processed. However, that was easier said than done. For us Filipinos, we have a lot of procedures and documentation to be able to come to the UAE on a new visa.”

Fearing the worst, she asked a travel agent for ticket prices and requested to block one for the night of October 31.

“When I got the call saying the amnesty was extended, I fell on my knees and prayed,” she recalled. “It was the best thing the government could have done for people like me.”

When announcing the extension, Maj-Gen Suhail Saeed Al Khaili, director-general of Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Ports Security (ICP), said: "The decision to extend the (amnesty) deadline comes in conjunction with the UAE's celebration of the 53rd Union Day, and as an embodiment of the humanitarian and civilised values of the country. It is also in response to the appeals, desire, and aspirations of violators who wish to settle their status either by leaving the country or obtaining an employment contract and amending their residency and remaining in the country.”

Extremely Helpful

According to Zubair Sidheeq, from Al Hasel Business Services, the move to extend the amnesty was extremely helpful to many people.

“I had a lot of clients coming to me out of desperation because their passports had expired and they needed it renewed to be able to avail the amnesty,” he said.

“I had one Afghan family who had fines of Dh50,000. The family’s passport was expired. Prior to the amnesty, if your visa and passport are both expired, and you renew your passport the immigration will show you as out of the country. However, during the amnesty the government made some amends to automatically update this in the system. The UAE government has made it as easy as possible for people to regularise their status this amnesty.”

He said that on October 31, his center faced immense rush. “It was almost what you could call a sea of people,” he said. “When the news of the extension came, honestly we breathed a sigh of relief. It helped so many people who would have otherwise been stuck.”

He cautioned other overstayers to not take it easy. “Passport renewals take time to come through and to get updated on the system,” he said. “So those who want to avail of the amnesty but have expired documents, my advise to them is to start planning now and not keep it till the last moment. There is less than a month remaining for the amnesty now.”

‘Hard to Watch’

Several government agencies, social groups and volunteers toiled tirelessly to ensure that overstayers were able to get the help they needed. In Al Awir, at the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) set up a tent dedicated to amnesty seekers where thousands turned up to seek help.

Dubai resident S.K., who volunteered at the tent, said that he saw many heartbreaking scenes.

“In the last week of October, there was a woman who came there and broke down in tears because she had a bank case against her which was still in court and would not be concluded before October 31,” he said.

“She was terrified that all the fines would be reinstated and that she would not be return home. It was a great humanitarian gesture on the part of the UAE government to extend the amnesty,” he said.

He said it was a great relief to see the same woman the following week with a smile on her face.

“The case had been settled and she had the opportunity to regularise her status,” he said.

— nasreen@khaleejtimes.com