UAE | Visa
About 60,000 visas cancelled since June 3
About 60,000 visas have been cancelled since the amnesty was announced on June 3, said a senior official of the Labour Ministry.
- By Binsal Abdul Kader, Staff Reporter
- Published: 01:06 July 17, 2007
- From left: Humaid Bin Deemas, Colonel Nasser Al Awadi Al Menhali and Major Salih Badah, Ministry of Interior, and Obaid Al Zahmi during the press conference in Abu Dhabi.
- Image Credit: Ahmed Kutty/Gulf News
Abu Dhabi: About 60,000 visas have been cancelled since the amnesty was announced on June 3, said a senior official of the Labour Ministry.
Most of them are likely to be amnesty seekers but the exact figure is not available at this stage, said Humaid Bin Deemas, Assistant Under-secretary in the Ministry of Labour.
"About 42,000 visas had been cancelled during the same period last year which shows a 27 per cent increase in cancellations that can be attributed to the amnesty."
He was speaking at a press conference on Monday at the Ministry of Interior.
About 3,007 illegal workers have left the country and 3,110 have adjusted their status under the amnesty in Abu Dhabi, said Colonel Nasser Al Awadi Al Menhali, Director of the Abu Dhabi Naturalisation and Residency Department (ADNRD).
Brigadier Mohammad Al Merri, Director of the Dubai Naturalisation and Residency Department, earlier told Gulf News that 22,000 illegal workers left the country and 27,000 have regularised their status in Dubai as of Sunday.
About 300,000 illegal workers are estimated to remain, but a small number of them have surfaced so far, said Obaid Rashid Al Zahmi, Assistant Under-secretary in the Ministry of Labour. He appealed to the sponsors to come forward to regularise the status of illegal workers.
Colonel Al Menhali said about 5,000 illegal workers in Abu Dhabi who obtained exit passes could not leave due to the lack of flights.
He requested the airlines to operate more flights to facilitate the exit of illegal workers.
He said most of the illegal workers who regularised their status were housemaids. "Absconders and infiltrators among the illegal workers will be given a life ban. Those who violated entry, labour and residency laws will face a one-year entry ban only," he said.
The Ministry of Labour is taking all steps to help the absconders get their passports from sponsors, said Bin Deemas.
"Workers can file complaints with the ministry if their passports are held by the sponsor. We summon the sponsors and ask them to return the passports. If any sponsor keeps passports, he or she will be fined Dh10,000," said Bin Deemas.
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