Dubai: The first undocumented Indian to avail of the UAE amnesty, at the Al Aweer amnesty centre in Dubai, has hailed the reprieve given to visa overstayers.
Girraj Prasad, 54, from the state of Rajasthan, is the first Indian to clear all the procedures for getting exemptions from fines to leave the country without a ban.
Prasad, a carpenter who worked as a tile-cutter in Dubai, said he violated the residency laws only because his company had not renewed his visa even after letting him take the medical fitness tests for it. “They kept me waiting for months after January. Finally, I filed a labour complaint. After that, the company paid the pending salaries for two months and gave me a ticket to go home without fines during amnesty.”
The outpass issued to Prasad by the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship (FAIC) showed a validity upto August 31.
However, Prasad, who has three children, said he will be flying home on August 12. “I had visited them last June. But I’m happy to see my wife, children and parents again after this ordeal.”
He was happy that he didn’t have to pay fines for overstaying. “This is a big help for people like me. I’m so thankful to the government for this gesture.”
Prasad said he would love to come back on another visa to work again in the UAE. “My Dh1,500 salary was the main income for my family. I definitely want to come back and work here.”
