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'If we go back, we will be separated': Sharjah family desperate for support to regularise visa status

The family has been trapped in limbo as the deadline of the two-month amnesty looms

Thousands of individuals in the UAE are seeking relief through the ongoing amnesty programme, which allows residents to regularise their visa status and rebuild their lives. For one Bangladeshi-Pakistani couple in Sharjah, the path forward is particularly daunting.

Mohammad Anwarul Haq, 53, originally from Bangladesh, and his wife, Kousar Aman from Pakistan, have lived in the UAE for decades. Haq, once the owner of a small typing centre, and Kousar, who provided salon services, managed to make ends meet. However, their world came crashing down when Haq suffered a series of paralysis attacks, first affecting his right hand and then his left, rendering him unable to work.

“We’ve been unable to afford the therapy Mohammad needs to get better,” Kousar explained. "With the right treatment, he could be back to work. But without any income and our expired visas, we can’t even think about getting him the care he needs." Since their visas expired in 2017, the family has been trapped in limbo.

"Going back is not an option for us," Haq added, his voice filled with uncertainty. "My wife and children all have Pakistani passports. If I return to Bangladesh, I will be separated from my family. I can't leave them here alone."

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The couple’s four daughters — Simra, 13, Laiba, 11, Alishba, 9, and Manal, 7 — have been out of school for years. Only Simra briefly attended school until the second grade.

Without valid visas, the girls have been confined to their run-down small, partitioned room in Sharjah's Al Qadisiya neighbourhood, unable to socialise or pursue an education. Kousar explained, "This is home for us, but our lives came to a standstill when Haq fell ill. All we want is a chance to regularise our status and move forward."

In order to regularise their status and live together in the UAE, the family require financial support – to fund Haq's treatment and kickstart their children's education.

Smart Life, a CDA-registered NGO, has stepped in to support the family. The organisation, known for aiding workers and their families in the UAE, is working to help Haq and Kousar navigate the complexities of the amnesty programme. Maryam Al Jassmi an Emirati banker and a Smart Life representative, explained, "We want people to come forward and support families like Haq’s. Their children, especially the girls, have been out of school for years. They’ve missed out on socialising and are struggling with basic education. We’re personally teaching the three older girls the basics through Smart Life’s programme. These girls have immense potential and can do well with a little bit of support.”

Maryam said despite their hardships, the family is determined to stay together and rebuild their lives in the UAE but have very little time and not enough financial resources. “As the October 30 deadline for the amnesty looms, they hold on to hope that the community will support their efforts to regularise their status,” she said.

The UAE government’s two-month amnesty, which ends this month, allows non-citizens with irregular immigration status to regularise their status without penalties.

According to the UAE Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs, and Ports Security, the amnesty will apply to four categories of individuals with irregular status, including those with expired residence permits, expired visas, foreign nationals born in the country whose guardians failed to register their residency within four months of birth, and individuals with absconding cases filed against them.

The Federal Authority added that the amnesty will not include those whose status became irregular after September 1. Additionally, individuals who have previously been deported or have deportation cases against them by the UAE or other Gulf Cooperation Council states are also excluded.

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