DUBAI – All Pakistanis residing illegally in the UAE have been urged toavail of the upcoming amnesty scheme announced by the UAE government.
A notice sent out to the community from the Pakistan Embassy in Abu Dhabiand Consulate in Dubai said that all Pakistanis should make use of theamnesty scheme that starts from August 1 and ends in October, Khaleej Timeshas reported.
“All those who do not have travel documents (passports) should contact theembassy or consulate,” read the notice.
A welfare officer from the Dubai consulate said that they were stillawaiting clarity from the UAE government with regard to how the amnestywill be implemented. “We will offer all the guidance we can once peoplecome to us here.”The notice also advises Pakistani expatriates to get intouch with welfare sections for more information regarding clarification ofthe scheme.
The officer also said that at times, individuals prefer to go to theimmigration directly instead of seeking help from the consulate or embassy.No previous figures of Pakistanis who had availed amnesty are currentlyavailable.
Under the scheme called ‘Protect Yourself via Rectifying Your Status,’foreigners violating the residency law will be granted a three-month graceperiod to either leave the country voluntarily without prosecution, orrectify their legal status by paying the required fees. The visa relaxationwill lift the fears of over-staying foreigners, reduce the burden on thosefacing hefty fines, while encouraging illegal expats to make their statuslegal or voluntarily depart, without incurring a ban. The scheme will endon October 31.
The general amnesty is not the first humanitarian visa initiative by theUAE government, as more than 60,000 foreigners violating the residency lawbenefitted from the previous 60-day visa amnesty in 2013. Three others wereheld in 2007, 2003 and 1996.
During the two-month amnesty in 2012-2013, the Ministry of Interior issued61,826 exit permits to people of different nationalities.
In 2007, 341,958 illegal residents across the UAE benefitted from anamnesty, and of those, 95,259 legalised their labour status and stayed inthe country.
At least 1.2 million Pakistanis reside in the UAE.