The UAE will begin a two-month amnesty in September to allow people with expired residency visas an opportunity to secure their status or leave the country without incurring fines.
The initiative was launched by the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security on Thursday.
The authority said the grace period was being introduced to afford people with expired documentation the chance to “regularise their status”.
“The Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) aims to provide violators with a new opportunity to regularise their status in accordance with the law, as a gesture that reflects the values of compassion and tolerance upon which the UAE is built,” it said.
Crucial lifeline
A community leader welcomed the decision saying that it would open up a much needed path for people to return to their home countries.
“It is a big relief for so many, there are people who came here searching for jobs and they overstayed. There are also people duped by agents who promised higher paying jobs and they end up with nothing and they overstay,” said Ishtiyak Raziq, past president of Sahana, a Sri Lankan welfare association.
“There are people who left Sri Lanka due to the financial crisis and they overstayed as they are unable to pay the fines. “And there are people with health issues without insurance and the fines are piling up. It will be good for all of them to go back and start afresh.”
Mr Raziq said the announcement would grant a reprieve to people who struggled to find employment after the coronavirus pandemic.
“What the government of the UAE has decided is timely and we are grateful as expatriates that they can go back to their home country,” he said.
Latest visa drive
The UAE held a similar visa amnesty scheme in 2018, from August to December.
It allowed residents who had overstayed their visas or people who entered the country illegally to modify their status with the government, to either return home or legally extend their stay without fear of fine or imprisonment.
It followed similar initiatives held in the Emirates in 2007 and 2013.
The huge turnout for a Dubai government event in February 2023 offering advice to people who have overstayed their visas highlighted how pressing a concern residency status is for many in the emirate.
The awareness scheme, titled “A Home For All”, was scheduled to run for three days at City Centre Deira, from 10am until 10pm.
But organisers had to postpone the information session on its opening day after the venue reached capacity by 1pm, with large crowds gathering to seek support.
It was set up to provide help to residents and visitors with lapsed visas about the steps they need to take to remain in the Emirates and find work legally.
A senior official from the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) said at the time that authorities were keen to help people understand the correct procedures to be followed and find solutions to resolve overstay cases.
What are the visa overstay rules?
The financial penalty has been standardised at Dh50 per day for tourists or residents who overstay their visas, following updates by the ICP in October 2022.
Residency visa holders are given six months to leave the country or change their status by finding a job once their visa expires or is cancelled.
The amnesty will support those who remain in the country illegally beyond this existing six-month grace period.
