ABSCONDERS CAN COLLECT PASSPORTS FROM MISSIONS
DUBAI — Illegal residents without valid passports, except Arab nationals, have to visit their respective consulates to avail of the ongoing amnesty programme, the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) Sharjah said on Monday.
The GDRFA in Sharjah also said that it has stopped taking fresh applications from illegal residents who were trying to legalise their status as part of the ‘Protect Yourself By Modifying Your Status’ initiative, which began on August 1.
Allaying fears of thousands of absconders, the GDRFA on Monday said that it has handed over a large number of passports of absconding Bangladeshis and Indians to their respective consulates in Dubai.
The move comes in response to allegations that ‘brokers’ are demanding money from Bangladeshi amnesty-seekers to expedite the procedures of the amnesty programme, which will run until October 31.
On Sunday, several Bangladeshi workers informed Khaleej Times that some people posing as brokers and representatives of consulates have asked Dh500 to get their passports back from the authorities.
Colonel Ali Amin Mohammed, director of the establishments department and amnesty centres at the Sharjah GDRFA, said that more than 2,000 people from various emirates sought help from the Sharjah immigration centre on Sunday alone, and majority of them were not aware of the procedures.
He added that they are spending a lot of money to come and stay in Sharjah, only to know that their passports are not with the GDRFA. He urged them to approach their respective consulates or immigration authorities of the emirates that issued their residence visas to process the application for passports.
Four new counters closed
Meanwhile, the Sharjah immigration centre on Monday closed the additional four halls they opened on Sunday to meet the heavy influx of illegal workers who came to apply for exit permits and passports.
Colonel Ali Amin said: “We were surprised by the large number of people, who came from various emirates on Sunday. Most of them did not know where to start their procedures and that made us open four extra lounges with sections for visa and residence, follow-up violators and a ladies hall.”
He explained that the department of special tasks of the Sharjah Police has cooperated with immigration officials to manage the crowds around the immigration offices and typing centres. A number of women police officers were also deployed in the reception tent. The
senior officers of the Sharjah residency department, headed by Colonel Ali Amin, paid a visit to various service centres and halls to expedite the process.
He added that absconded workers were roaming around the immigration department not knowing how to complete the amnesty procedures and get their passports. However, the heavy turnout is a positive indicator and reflects the keenness of people to legalise their residency status, he added.
However, three sections — visa, violators and establishment cards — will be working for the amnesty-seekers.
Exploitation
Thousands of Bangladeshi workers, who thronged the Sharjah immigration centre on Sunday, said that they were facing problems to complete their procedures as middlemen were taking advantage of their predicament.
The so-called brokers demanded amounts between Dh300 and Dh500 to fast-track the procedures and several people lost their money as they could not even trace these fraudsters as they keep their mobile phones switched off after getting the money.
A worker, Anees Ali, said: “When we do not have enough money to go from immigration to police and diplomatic missions concerned to legalise our status, these men are cheating us.”
Workers Mohammed Kamal and Abinash Sanker said that the contracting company that they had worked in was closed down and after that, they went absconding. They said that they came to the Sharjah immigration and some of them went to the Bangladeshi consulate, but they could not get their passports. They urged the authorities to put a mechanism to facilitate the handing of passports of workers.
A day after Bangladesh workers shared their worries over passport loss and lack of coordination from the diplomatic mission, Mohammad Imran, Bangladeshi Ambassador to the UAE, told Khaleej Times that 100 eligible Bangladeshis have been issued travel passes as part of the amnesty programme. He added that people who approach with complaints of loss of passports will be issued a emergency certificate, if they are eligible under law.
He added that the embassy has taken necessary steps to eliminate any kind of exploitation and so far no formal complaints were lodged by the Bangladeshi nationals. Photo by M. Sajjad