18-year-old born in UAE gets Dh1 million fine waived

Dubai - He also didn't have a passport and residency visa since birth.

An 18-year-old residency law violator received a Dh1 million fine waiver at the Al Aweer centre of the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) on Thursday.
"He was an 18-year-old Asian amnesty seeker who came to us and asked for help as he didn't have any legal documents. He was born here (in Dubai) and didn't have a passport and residency visa since birth. But we waived his fine which was around one million and issued him an outpass," Brigadier Khalaf Al Ghaith, GDRFA assistant director-general of follow-up sector of violators and foreigners, told reporters.
"We've had many cases of people who were born here and did not have the required residency visa since birth but we also waived their penalties (because of the amnesty)," Al Ghaith added.
A total of 1,534 overstaying residents in Dubai applied on the first day of the three-month amnesty programme at the centre in Al Aweer and Amer centres across the emirate on Wednesday.
At a Press briefing held at the GDRFA centre on Thursday, Brigadier Al Ghaith said that out of the 1,534 applicants, 326 were given outpasses; 408 applied to renew their visa at Amer centres; 260 modified their residency status; 124 were absconding cases; and 416 applied for visa cancellation without changing their status.
He added that the Amer centres received at least 6,000 calls from residents inquiring about the amnesty and how to change residency status.
Al Ghaith said those who met the requirements were not given any penalties. The GDRFA official also reminded those who will seek amnesty to ready their documents or get the necessary documentation from their respective embassies or consulates to facilitate the amnesty process. "If an applicant is ready with all the documents, in less than half an hour the entire procedure will be over," Al Ghaith noted.
Meanwhile, Philippine consul-general Paul Raymund Cortes said over 1,500 Filipinos trooped to the consulate on Wednesday "to seek advice on how they could avail of the programme and the requirements / guidelines they should comply with.
"We held hourly briefings and the consulate officers and staff patiently explained the procedures and guidelines relative to the amnesty programme, including the consular procedures and renewal of passports," Cortes said.
He added that around 50 overstaying Filipinos were issued exit permits at the Al Aweer Immigration Centre on Wednesday.
The Philippine Consulate shouldered the Dh221 cost for exit pass and also paid for the Dh521 fine to remove the absconding case. The Philippine government also booked a one-way ticket for those who wanted to go home.
angel@khaleejtimes.com

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