We lived the story through the eyes of amnesty-seekers
FOR MANY PEOPLE WHO WERE OVERSTAYING, OUR REPORTS GAVE THEM FRESH HOPE
From scores of families to distressed mothers who’ve been abandoned by their husbands and thousands of individual undocumented migrants, the lives of thousands of families have been positively changed thanks to the UAE Amnesty 2018.
On August 1, when the maximum temperature hit a scorching 48 degrees, a new ray of hope dawned into the lives of countless expatriates who were overstaying their visa in the UAE.
The UAE amnesty programme called ‘Protect Yourself via Rectifying Your Status’, launched by the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship (FAIC), provided foreigners violating the residency law a three-month grace period to either leave the country voluntarily without prosecution or rectify their legal status by paying the required fees. It also offered a jobseeker visa for those who wanted to stay back and search for jobs after rectifying their status.
Thousands of residents from countries such as Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and several African countries have availed of this programme. Many have rectified their status and returned home to their loved ones and thousands of others have opted for the jobseeker visa.
Undocumented residents more than just a statistic
However, for Khaleej Times, the UAE amnesty was much more than statistics of people who were vying to rectify their status. KT reporters from across the country have meticulously and extensively covered the 2018 amnesty, providing accurate and timely information on the amnesty guidelines. They provided an in-depth look into the lives of undocumented residents, and for many, these published stories have given them new lease to life.
Take 58-year-old Filipino expat Francisco Pacheco for example. After staying away from his family for a total of eight years, all this expat took back home, in the end, was a box of dates and chocolates.
He said: “Life was really tough in the past years when I lived and worked illegally in Dubai. Pay was very low and there was no job security. Worse, even when I was really very sick I could not go to any hospital or clinic because I had no medical insurance.” However, after the KT story, a group of employees in one company pooled resources and gave him at least Dh2,000 to take back home.
According to Brigadier Khalaf Al Ghaith, assistant director-general of follow-up sector of violators and foreigners at the General Department of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA), a total of 1,534 overstaying residents applied on the first day of the three-month amnesty programme at the centre in Al Aweer and Amer centres across Dubai. The procedures for amnesty-seekers were also made easier by immigration authorities. “For applicants who were ready with all the documents, in less than half an hour the entire procedure was over,” Al Ghaith noted. From the Bangladeshi diplomatic mission alone, a total of 15,000 new amnesty-related passports were issued.
Amnesty extensions save families
Though the scheme was scheduled to end on October 31, the UAE government has magnanimously granted two extensions to the programme and is now expected to end on December 31, 2019, a day before the new year. News reports have suggested that violators who continue to overstay will be heavily penalised by the law enforcement authorities.
However, the two extensions from FAIC came as a saving grace for stranded mothers and children. With no help from her husband for child support, a 38-year-old mother of two toddlers Ruqia Ahsan Elahi and her children Laila (4) and Barhaan (2) were struggling to make ends meet. In no time after the story was published, a Khaleej Times reader stepped up and cleared Dh8,600 in hospital dues for her kids. Furthermore, another reader provided the mom and her kids with a new apartment to live.
Speaking to Khaleej Times, Ruqiya said: “I want to thank the media for all their help. My amnesty would not have been possible if not for support from KT. At one point, my husband was refusing to cooperate. But the support that came through after has been great.” She added, “Now, I am waiting for my husband to send a NOC from Pakistan. Once I’ve received that paper, I can apply for my son’s documents too. After that, I will be free to work and provide for my children.”
Bangladeshi mother-of-three Jannatul Ferdous was only days away from her due date before she and her husband and Mohammed Musa were pardoned off Dh119,999 worth overstay fine. “The UAE amnesty and the KT article have given my family everything. The extension has saved us so much trouble,” an elated Ferdous said.
Role of diplomatic missions, social workers
Embassies of various countries have assisted thousands of their citizens in renewing passports and getting emergency travel documents and birth certificates for babies so they can be granted relief from hefty penalties. The FAIC has praised the efforts of various embassies in helping amnesty-seekers and processing the required documents to ensure that they benefit from the amnesty scheme.
KV Shamsudheen, chairman of Pravasi Bandhu Welfare Trust, said counselling, financial advice and emotional support are crucial for families who are in limbo, unable to pay off outstanding dues. He added: “Community leaders have an important role to play. There are families with small children involved here. There are very compassionate and philanthropists here in the UAE, and I have never heard the word ‘no’ from such people.”