'Came to UAE when my daughter was 9': Visa amnesty allows woman to go home after a decade

On September 1, the UAE announced a two-month long amnesty which gave hopes to thousands of people who have been living illegally in the country

Nasreen Abdulla

Published: Mon 28 Oct 2024, 6:00 AM

Last updated: Mon 28 Oct 2024, 8:23 AM

When Sharjah resident Rabia left her hometown in Bangladesh, her daughter was just nine years old and a schoolgirl. Today, as the mother of three prepares to go home after receiving amnesty, her daughter is 19 and preparing to start college.

“She was my sweetest little daughter,” Rabia told Khaleej Times. “I have an older and younger son but she was the one most attached to me. For the last couple of months, she had been constantly crying on the phone asking me to come back. That was when the amnesty was announced.”

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Rabia is counting the days to when she can finally return home. “I want to hug my daughter and feel her in my arms,” she said, her voice cracking with emotion. “She is no longer a little girl but in my mind, she is still the nine-year-old I left behind.”

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It was on September 1 that the UAE announced a two-month long amnesty which gave hopes to thousands of people who have been living illegally in the country. They can now choose to leave without any penalties or convert their visa into a residency visa if they are hired.

Big blessing

Rabia, who is the sole breadwinner of her family, first came to the UAE 11 years ago. “The first year after I came, I returned home to my family once,” she recalled. “But after that, things got too difficult. For the last three years, I became an illegal after I overstayed my visa. For me, this amnesty is a huge blessing.”

Struggling with several medical issues and aches, Rabia said she doesn’t know how she is going to earn a living back home. “I have some aches and pains which have been bothering me for a while,” she said. “This has impacted my ability to work properly. Right now, I am making ends meet by doing part-time work in two houses. I don’t have much money saved up, so I couldn’t even buy gifts for my children. Luckily, one of my employers gave me some gifts which I can take back to my family.”

Earlier this month, the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship, Customs and Ports Security (ICP) clarified that there would be no extension to the amnesty programme and that there would be deportations and tightening of measures with inclusion of violators on the no-entry list.

According to eyewitnesses and social workers, this weekend, which is the last one before the end of amnesty, was extremely busy. “A lot of people waited till the last minute hoping for extensions or more leniency in conditions,” said a social worker who did not want to be named. “The most important difference between this amnesty and the previous ones was that there are no bans this time. People can exit and then return on a valid visit or work visa. It is indeed a huge blessing for people.”

In an advisory, the ICP had reiterated that the amnesty covers only those who are in the UAE and does not include absconders or violators who have left the country prior to the start of the amnesty.

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