Dubai: The Indian Consulate in Dubai on Wednesday announced that it has facilitated 10,000 Indian expats who sought the services of the ongoing UAE visa amnesty.
While 3,200 of them secured the documents to leave the country, 1,300 opted to stay back in the UAE, the mission revealed.
Since September 1, the Consulate General of India in Dubai has been operating Facilitation Centres at the Consulate and Al Awir to assist Indian citizens living in violation of the residency laws in availing themselves of the benefits of the ongoing UAE Visa Amnesty initiative.
The mission had earlier said that it is offering one-stop-shop UAE amnesty services (excluding biometric capturing or fingerprinting) at the Facilitation Centre in its auditorium.
Services
“In collaboration with various Indian diaspora organisations, the Consulate has facilitated more than 10,000 service seekers,” the consulate said in its latest update about the two-month amnesty programme.
The mission said it has issued over 1300 passports, 1700 emergency certificates, and has helped with the issuance of more than 1500 exit permits. “Other service seekers have been facilitated in obtaining fee/penalty waivers from the UAE authorities,” it added.
Short validity passports are issued to those without valid passports wishing to regularise their stay to continue to live in the UAE.
Exit permits
Also called an outpass, the emergency certificate (EC) is a one-time travel document issued to those who do not hold a valid passport to travel.
The Consulate had said that it was also issuing exit permits from the immigration authorities with the support of volunteers from the Air India Forum (AIF), a community group supporting Indians in distress. Those leaving the UAE require this permit from the General Directorate of Residency and Foreign Affairs (GDRFA).
Apart from issuing the exit permits, various counters at the consulate provide comprehensive services including those related to lost passport report, labour cancellation, technical ticket for Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE), immigration cancellation, merging multiple UIDs, etc.
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Biometrics
“Only those who require to provide their biometrics need to visit the Al Awir Amnesty Centre. Indian nationals seeking amnesty can complete the rest of the procedures here at the consulate,”
Consul General of India in Dubai Satish Kumar Sivan had said earlier.
In the last amnesty period in 2018, Sivan said the Indian Consulate had issued around 4,500 emergency certificates and 2,500 short-validity passports.
Tickets, jobs
This time, the mission has also tied up with airlines such as Air India, Air India Express and Indigo to provide discounted flight tickets for amnesty seekers. It has also been coordinating with multiple companies to provide job offers to amnesty seekers.
Illegal residents and visitors without valid residency documents have time until October 31 to either regularise their visa status or leave the country without any fines or immigration ban.
With only a week left for the deadline set for the grace period, the Consulate urged Indian citizens living illegally in Dubai and the Northern Emirates to take advantage of the visa amnesty programme to legalise their stay or leave the country.
It also urged Indians travelling to the UAE to follow proper procedures established by the local authorities for entry, work and residence.
