Embassies and consulates in the UAE are stepping up efforts to support people hoping to benefit from the residency overstay visa amnesty that begins next Sunday.
The UAE government has announced a two-month grace period - from September 1 - to allow those with expired documents to either secure their status or leave the country without incurring overstay fines.
Ambassadors from countries with some of the largest expatriate populations in the UAE said their offices have been filled with hundreds of people seeking more details about the amnesty announcement made on August 1.
Some missions have opened on Saturdays. Others have dispatched officials to cities across the country, to inform people that they can return home or legitimately search for a job without being fined for expired visas.
If not for this amnesty, a lot of people who have overstayed are living with fear because they didn’t know what will happen
Alexi Gunasekera,
Sri Lanka Consul General
Alexi Gunasekera, Sri Lanka Consul General, said SriLankan Airlines had been asked to make cheaper fares available to those wishing to return home.
“We are trying to support and educate Sri Lankans how to make use of this amnesty for the betterment of their future,” Mr Gunasekera told The National.
“If not for this amnesty period, a lot of people who have overstayed are living with fear because they didn’t know what will happen to them. But now they have relief.
“Some people didn’t come to the consulate before, knowing they would have to pay a big fine.
Officials had made it clear that the amnesty, which gave people a two-month grace period, did not only apply to people who wanted to return home.
“The amnesty has come after six years and it’s very good news for Sri Lankans here,” Mr Gunasekera said.
“We are telling Sri Lankans to get ready for this opportunity.
“Some people think the amnesty is just to go back to Sri Lanka.
“We explain to them that’s not the case and that two months is a good grace period to finalise jobs.
“So in this window if they have a job opportunity, they can get the offer letter, legalise their stay here and can get a proper visa done.
“This is a very good opportunity that the government of UAE has given under the policy of tolerance and compassion.”
Passport renewals rise
At Bangladesh's embassy the number of people applying to renew their passports has increased to several hundred daily.
“We have been advising those staying irregularly in this country to get their new passport renewed as soon as possible as many of their passports would have expired,” said Bangladesh's ambassador Mohammed Abu Zafar.
“There has been a big rise in the number of people coming in to renew their passports after the amnesty announcement.
“We are issuing new passports, renewing passports so on that basis they can submit their request to stay in the country through the established process within the UAE government system.
“There has been a serious increase in the number of passport applicants this month, at least 1.5 times the regular numbers who applied before, it’s in the range of a few thousand now.”
Mr Zafar said outreach programmes have been held every weekend in cities including Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah, Umm Al Quwain, Al Ain and Sharjah where consular and labour welfare officials explained how workers could take up the amnesty programme.
He said once someone has a valid passport, they can approach UAE authorities with a request to remain when the amnesty scheme opens up next month.
The embassy is also trying to speed up the process of receiving new passports from Bangladesh.
“It takes two to four weeks, we have requested the government in Bangladesh to expedite the process so people here can submit their requests for exemption of fines and regularise their overstay.
“If needed we will keep our offices open on the weekends once we see a surge in applications.”
The Pakistan embassy already has kept its offices in Abu Dhabi and Dubai open an extra day to handle larger numbers.
“We have started operating our offices on Saturday as well, from 8am until 1pm, this month after the amnesty was announced,” said Faisal Niaz Tirmizi, Pakistan's Ambassador to the UAE.
“A lot more people are more coming on weekdays to renew their passports, the numbers are picking up compared to other years.
“But the real test will be seen when the amnesty starts on the September 1.”
The embassy has posted messages on social media to alert people with lapsed documents about the two-month window.
“We are telling people that this is a great opportunity and they should make use of this to legalise their stay,” Mr Tirmizi said.
“We are saying: you can stay if you have found a job but if you can’t find a job then it’s time to go home.”
Community groups to help
The Indian consulate in Dubai said community groups had been asked to gather information about people with expired visas who would benefit from the amnesty.
“We will follow established procedures to facilitate our nationals who wish to avail the benefit of amnesty,” the Consulate General of India said in a statement.
The initiative was launched by the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security and follows a similar nationwide amnesty in 2018.
That scheme had been due to run for three months but was extended by several weeks due to demand.
During the amnesty's grace period, from September 1 until November 1, “violators can regularise their status or leave the country without incurring fines”, the federal authority has said.
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