UAE visa amnesty: No extension of grace period to adjust status
Those with exit permits asked to leave the country before stipulated deadline
Sharjah: There will be no extension of the amnesty period which will end on October 31 and there are less than 24 days left for residency violators to get their visa status adjusted, Major General Suhail Saeed Al Khaili, Director-General of the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs & Port Security (ICP) announced in Sharjah today.
Major General Al Khaili reiterated that strict legal measures will be taken against those found in violation of residency rules after the grace period ends. This includes reinstating previous fines for those who failed to correct their status during the given Amnesty timeframe.
Addressing a media gathering, Major General Sultan Yusuf Al Nuaimi, Director General of Residency and Foreign Affairs at ICP said stricter measures will be enforced following this end of the Amnesty period, which will include deportation of violators and their inclusion in the no-entry list.
He said intensive inspection campaigns will be conducted in residential areas, across companies, shops and industrial areas to identify violators.
He told Gulf News that dedicated teams are monitoring violators across these locations.
“There will be fines imposed and deportations ordered from the country with no possibility of re-entry unless conditions are met,” he said.
He urged those who have received exit permits to leave before the deadline, as some have not yet departed from the country.
“There will be no leniency, even in the courts; inspection campaigns will continue to apprehend violators and deport them, placing them on the list of individuals banned from entering the country in the future,” he added.
Major General Al Nuaimi said the authorities have received cases of violators who have been illegally staying in the country for 15-20 years.
While some of them have settled their visa status, others have left the country or will be doing so before the deadline expires.
The authorities have been coordinating with the national airlines to provide tickets at cheaper prices, he said, adding that charity associations have also been cooperating by paying for tickets in deserving cases.
Major General Al Khaili noted that less than 24 days remain in the grace period, so violators must seize the opportunity to rectify their visa statuses, either by safely leaving without receiving a ban upon re-entry into the country, or by obtaining a job contract, securing a new residency, and living and working legally in the state.
He said ICP teams are gathering feedback from beneficiaries about any challenges they may be facing besides suggestions for appropriate solutions in collaboration with partners from federal and local government entities, private sector companies and relevant foreign embassies.
Additionally, violations are being tracked through typing centres with necessary legal action being taken to ensure a supportive environment for delivering status correction services.
Major General Aref Mohammed Al Shamsi, Executive Director of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Sharjah, was also present at the media gathering.