Amnesty extended by one month
HUGE TURNOUT AND SLOW PROCEDURES AT SOME EMBASSIES PROMPT UAE GOVERNMENT TO OFFER ANOTHER MONTH
Decision follows heavy turnout, slow processing of applications at some embassies |
The Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship (FAIC) announced yesterday that the amnesty period will be extended by a month.
Heavy turnout of undocumented residents at diplomatic missions and amnesty centres and slow procedures at some of the diplomatic missions of foreign countries have prompted the government to extend the amnesty.
The authority had earlier announced a three-month amnesty from August 1 to October 31, which will now be extended to December 1.
The extension will provide more time for the amnesty-seekers to regularise their residency status to stay in the country or leave without paying fines or getting an entry ban.
Brigadier Saeed Rakan Al Rashidi, acting director-general for Foreigners Affairs and Ports at the FAIC, said the authorities will not offer any leniency to the residency-law violators after the extended amnesty period.
An extensive inspection campaign will be initiated across the country to arrest residency-law violators and they will be prosecuted as per the laws of the country and penalised for the whole period of violation with imprisonment followed by deportation, Brig Al Rashidi said.
He said the extension comes under the directives of the country’s leadership to make all efforts to help all residents and make their life easier.
During the extended period, the amnesty-seekers can also apply for a six-month visa under self-sponsorship to look for a job. They can either move to a new job visa, if they get a job offer, or leave the country after six months.
Slow processing
The authority also clarified that those who will be leaving the country on exit passes can legally return to the country and there will be no entry ban on them. Even absconders who ran away from their sponsors can leave the UAE without getting the entry ban
However, those who entered the UAE illegally [without a visa] can re-enter the country after two years only.
Brig Al Rashidi said diplomatic missions of some countries were slowly processing their citizens’ amnesty applications. This caused delay in completing the procedures of residency-law violators.