The UAE government will soon announce a general amnesty for foreign citizens who violate the rules of stay in the country.
The UAE government plans to declare an amnesty for foreign citizens who violate the regime of stay in the country. Ali Muhammad bin Hammad Al Shamsi, the head of the Federal Identity and Citizenship Service (FAIC), said that violators would be given the opportunity to either improve their legal status by paying a fee or voluntarily leave the UAE without any legal consequences. Penalties will not be applied to offenders.
Mr. Al Shamsi noted that the amnesty will come into force in a few weeks.
In 2013, 62 thousand illegal immigrants took advantage of a similar amnesty, which lasted two months.
This measure is one of the steps to implement the Cabinet decision on simplifying the visa regime for guests and residents of the country who have expired visas.
The Cabinet approved a number of legislative acts, including revising the current system of stay in the UAE, extending the dependency period for two years after completion of studies at a university.
The government also decided to exempt transit passengers from paying fees for the first 48 hours. For 50 dirhams, a transit visa can be extended up to 96 hours. The issuance of transit visas will be carried out at several counters in the halls of passport control at airports in the UAE.
The Cabinet also provided visa expired persons with the opportunity to voluntarily leave the country without the “no entry” mark (without the right to enter) in their passport. For people who want to find work in the UAE, but have exceeded the permissible length of stay, a new six-month visa will be introduced.
As for individuals who illegally entered the UAE, they will be given the opportunity to voluntarily leave the country with a “no entry” mark for two years, provided that they provide a valid ticket from the country.
Among other innovations, the authorities provided the opportunity to make changes to visas or update them without leaving the UAE.
