Abu Dhabi: A senior official clarified on Sunday that former residents, who were banned from re-entering the UAE for violating residency laws, cannot avail of the ongoing amnesty to get their entry ban removed and come back to the UAE.
The three-month-long amnesty is only for foreigners who are currently residing in the UAE, the official from the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship said in an interview with Gulf News on Sunday at the Shahama Centre for amnesty-seekers.
Earlier, a senior UAE official had said that former residents could also avail of the amnesty, if there was no pending legal case against them in the UAE. A guideline issued by the Indian Embassy had also mentioned the same.
However, the official explained on Sunday that only the residents who violated the residency laws can rectify their status and stay back in the country or apply for an emergency certificate to leave the UAE without paying any fines.
Even those who absconded from their sponsors but currently staying in the UAE [not those who are outside the UAE] can avail of the amnesty, said the official who did not want to be named as he is not an official spokesperson.
The residents who face pending legal actions on a court case or traffic violations can avail of the amnesty only after clearing all such cases, said the official who supervise the Shahama Centre for amnesty seekers in Abu Dhabi.
