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, Major General Sultan Yusuf Al Nuaimi, Director-General of Residency and Foreigners Affairs at the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs & Port Security (ICP) announced in Sharjah today.
Addressing a media gathering, Major General Al Nuaimi said stricter measures will be enforced following this 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.
Major General Al Nuaimi 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.
Major General Al Nuaimi 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.