Dubai: Volunteers work over 5,000 hours to assist amnesty seekers during first 3 weeks

Forty community volunteers have put in 5,040 volunteer hours in the first three weeks of the ongoing amnesty to help customers turning up at Amer centres across Dubai. The volunteer efforts are part of a campaign by the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) to assist amnesty seekers across the country.

It was on September 1 that the UAE began a two-month amnesty programme, providing hope for thousands of illegal residents. Currently, those who are staying illegally in the country can choose to leave without any penalties or convert their visa into a residency visa if they are hired.

Amer centres across Dubai and the status regularisation centre in Al Aweer have become vital platforms for humanitarian volunteer work, attracting hundreds of hours of volunteer contributions that help beneficiaries and provide them with the necessary support.

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So far, hundreds of residents have utilised the amnesty program to regularise their status. For some, it meant thousands of dirhams of fines were waived off while for others it was a chance to start a new life and give their children identities.

Partnership

GDRFA has partnered with Watani Al Emarat Foundation to recruit volunteers of various nationalities to support the goals of the campaign and contribute to its success. These individuals help in organising visitors, guiding them to appropriate departments, and facilitating procedures effectively and smoothly. The authority aims to expand the campaign to reach at least 100 volunteers.

Brigadier Abdul Samad Hussein Suleiman, Acting Assistant Director General for the Institutional Support Sector, expressed his pride in this success and the role of everyone who contributed to achieving it, emphasising the importance of continuing these efforts to achieve the desired impact.

According to authorities, the volunteers, who work for at least six hours every day, also played a vital role in supporting media teams covering the campaign’s events and documenting the daily successes of the initiative.

Brigadier Abdul Samad Suleiman, also pointed out that volunteer work is a fundamental part of the institutional identity of Dubai Residency, stressing that "volunteers are the backbone of the campaign's success".

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