Dubai's immigration department said about 25,000 people have overstayed their residency visa so far this year - more than twice the total in 2016 - with many hit by fines running into tens of thousands of dirhams.
Job losses and illnesses were among the common reasons for individuals and families having their visa cancelled but continuing to live in the country.
The General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA), which released the latest figures on Monday, said that while some people attempt to work illegally in the country, it was sympathetic to those in "harsh situations that are beyond their control". About 12,000 cases were recorded in 2016.
Officials said 11,000 people applied to a special "humanitarian committee" that looks at the reasons for breaches of immigration rules. In 9,000 of those cases, it reduced the fine amount or cancelled it altogether.
"Sometimes, people experience harsh situations that are beyond their control. We have to listen to them and consider these conditions," said Maj Gen Mohammed Al Marri, director general of the GDRFA.
“We give an opportunity for illegal residents to come to the department to apply for a pardon and acquire information about the procedures that they need to follow, to remove the fines against them and renew their residential visas."
The department's humanitarian centre looks at the appeal cases and weighs up the situation that non legal residents are in, including if they are from a country where there is conflict, and financial problems they may have.
Dozens of people were at the centre on Monday, looking to appeal.
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Umm Anees, from Algeria, was among them. She declined to give her full name but said her husband's visa expired in March, meaning the couple and their four children had to leave the UAE.
"My husband was fired from his work, and we suffer from financial problems," she told said.
"I and my four children have been living in the country illegally for seven months. Two of my children are enrolled in school and the other two are studying in university.”
"I applied to the humanitarian case centre in June as I couldn't pay the fines. At that time, I had little money saved but I had to pay my rent."
Captain Khalid Al Hamadi, head of the humanitarian case section, said that the family's case would be looked at, but he could not say whether they would be successful.
Ali Jaber, 36, from Pakistan, was also at the centre. He owes Dh50,000 in fines having been living in the UAE with his wife for about 18 months.
“I've lived in the country for seven years but I lost my job a year and a half ago and couldn’t renew our residency visas. I have financial problems and I am ill. I suffer from epilepsy and my medicine costs Dh700 every month,” said Mr Jaber.
“I recently managed to renewed my residency visa, but couldn’t do the same for my family. Fines of more than Dh50,000 were imposed on my family members."
He said he has seven children aged between 4 and 16.
Dinesh Kumar, first secretary at the Indian embassy, said that such cases are common.
He said the number of Indian nationals approaching the embassy for residency visa issues has increased this year.
“More Indian expats are experiencing issues with residential visas in 2017. Some of their employers have left the country [without cancelling their visa, leaving them stuck] while others lost their jobs for different reasons,” said Mr Kumar.
“We try to help expats who overstay and provide them with as much help as we can."
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Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
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Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.