'Nobody left behind’: major push to tackle visa issues as amnesty begins second week

Major drive continues to renew passports, verify identity and issue travel documents required to start the visa amnesty process

Volunteers and officials at the Sri Lankan consulate in Dubai guide people who have overstayed their visa. All photos: Pawan Singh / The National

Sri Lankans apply for a UAE amnesty so they can return home without paying fines.

Sri Lankan consular officials guide people who have overstayed their visas.

People who have overstayed their visas waiting for their turn.

Airlines from Sri Lanka have set up desks to offer discounted fares to people who have overstayed.

Close of business at the Sri Lankan consulate in Dubai has been extended from 2pm to 4pm from Monday to Friday.

People on expired visas are encouraged to legalise their stay by applying for the amnesty or leaving the country without paying fines.

Amnesty seekers are being urged to approach authorities early for assistance on the process, which runs until October.

Consulates and community welfare groups are joining forces to ensure people with expired residency and visit visas can secure a lifeline from the UAE's amnesty campaign.

Officials and volunteers from countries including Ethiopia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, India and Pakistan have taken to social media platforms and sent messages on WhatsApp groups to alert the public that they need valid passports to take advantage of the scheme, which runs until the end of October.

Embassies and consulates inundated with requests for help want to make sure amnesty seekers are fully informed on the steps they need to take.

“We will try to make sure nobody is left behind from benefiting from the visa amnesty,” Ethiopian Consul General Aklilu Kebede told The National. “We are receiving so many passport applications and outpass requests from our citizens.

“Most of our cases are domestic workers and we are sending information to them on our Facebook pages, YouTube and even TikTok. We are working with community associations so that people who have violated their residency can understand all the procedures and can benefit from the amnesty grace period.”

An outpass is a temporary travel document to allow people who do not have valid visas or passports to legally leave the country.

Consulates and embassies collect the identity information from citizens with expired documents, send it to immigration authorities in their home country for verification and then issue an outpass or emergency travel document. This must then be submitted to Amer centres by people seeking to avail of the visa amnesty so they can leave the country and return without a ban or fines.

Managing crowds

Thousands of Ethiopians had gathered outside their consulate after the UAE government announced the amnesty initiative in August, prompting officials to seek assistance from police to manage the crowds.

“Immediately after the announcement, we had great numbers, people in thousands came to our mission and we requested help from the Dubai government and Dubai Police. We worked with them to manage the crowds because the queues reached outside our compound,” Mr Kebede said.

“The number was really beyond our expectations. Now the numbers are less, in the hundreds, and we are seeing how we can guide people and handle their issues.”

The consulate’s Facebook page posts the names of "runaways", referring to domestic workers who flee from their employers in search of better jobs or cases where passports were held by agents and employers. Mr Kebede said once these passports are returned by immigration authorities to the consulate, the domestic workers can collect them.

“We are receiving a lot of passports of runaways from immigration offices from every emirate,” he said. “Thousands of passports are coming in and we are asking our citizens to collect their passports from us. Even if some people have new passports, it’s important to collect their previous passport because this was the document they used to come in to the country.”

People with valid passports can go directly to the Amer offices, typing centres or to the Al Aweer centre and regularise their status and have two months to search for employment under the amnesty. The two-month initiative began last Sunday, allowing people who have overstayed their residency and visit visas to regularise their stay and remain in the country or to leave without incurring any penalties.

Legalise stay

The Pakistan mission said it was experiencing “higher than usual” numbers of people renewing or applying for new passports and urged citizens to come forward early to benefit from the amnesty process. “Last month, the numbers we processed sometimes reached 1,000 passport applications per day,” said Hussain Muhammad, Consul General of Pakistan in Dubai.

The consulate will be open every Saturday during the amnesty period until October to accept applications from people who need to renew their documents or obtain outpass certificates to leave the UAE. “Our message is clear – this is an opportunity from our UAE brothers and people must regularise themselves or leave,” Mr Muhammad said.

“We are emphasising again and again in our interaction with the community that this amnesty is a chance for them. Looking at the ratio in the last one month of the Pakistani community who have overstayed and are applying for national identity card renewal and passports, we decided to keep the consulate open on Saturday.”

Volunteer support

At the Sri Lanka consulate in Dubai, counters have been set up by SriLankan Airlines and FitsAir offering discounted tickets to help people who have overstayed return to their families. The tickets are priced between Dh500 to Dh600, less than half the normal fare to Sri Lanka.

Working hours have been extended from 2pm to 4pm on weekdays and volunteers from Sahana, a Sri Lankan welfare association, work alongside consular staff to advise people who want to return home. “We are asking people to come to us early, at the start of the amnesty so we can help,” said Shanaka Perera, president of Sahana.

“Our volunteers are available to guide, fill forms, answer any questions. We explain that if you have a passport, you don’t have to come to the consulate. But if you don’t have a passport, it’s expired or you have not registered the birth of your child then you definitely should come to the consulate.”

He said they make clear that after the amnesty ends in October, people who have not found jobs should leave for Sri Lanka. “To get a new passport will take three months, so it’s best for people with expired passports to take an outpass and leave the country,” Mr Perera said.

“There are no fines now but from October, they will fall in the same trap of paying fines. We keep repeating that they must legalise their stay as this is the best outcome for people with expired visas.”

Remove fear

The Indian consulate has set up help desks at the Al Aweer centre in Dubai to guide people. “Applicants who desire to regularise their residency status may apply for short validity passports,” the consulate said in a statement.

Help desks at the consulate in Dubai are open from 8am until 5pm. People who have overstayed can approach BLS visa centres in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Dubai that will remain open on Sunday and also apply for short validity passports without requiring prior appointments.

Community groups are working with the consulate to spread awareness. Ibrahim Khaleel, secretary of the Kerala Muslim Cultural Centre, said volunteers work at the consulate and community centres open on Sunday receive hundreds of calls and visits from people who have overstayed.

“We guide people not just from India, we get enquiries from people from Bangladesh and Pakistan also,” he said. “Nationality or religion does not matter, we want to help people legalise their status. There are many people living illegally who are still scared to come forward.

“Many don’t know the rules as they think they will never be able to return to the UAE if they take an outpass and leave. We encourage families and explain how they can legalise or use this chance to go back without paying fines."