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Ministries to unveil new legislation on ‘illegals’

ABU DHABI — The Ministry of Interior (MoI) and the Ministry Labour (MoL) will hold a Press conference on Sunday to unveil the new legislation on ‘illegals’, as well as to declare the latest figures on number of ‘illegals’ who availed themselves of the amnesty.

The extension given to the amnesty seekers for completing formalities like getting exit passes issued or arranging for air-tickets etc. — after the amnesty period ended on September 2 — expires tomorrow.

Brigadier Salim Al Khaili, director general of Naturalisation and Residency Department, MoI, told Khaleej Times that all naturalisation and residency departments across the country, in coordination with the MoL, would carry out extensive inspection campaigns to apprehend illegal workers.

“The violators and those employing them will be referred to the Public Prosecution. The violating firms will face stiff penalties, including fines of up to Dh50,000 for each illegal worker employed. The violating firms will also face closure. Plus, a fine of up to Dh100,000 will be slapped on those employing infiltrators,” Al Khaili warned.

Meanwhile, Colonel Nasser Al Manhali, director of the Department of Naturalisation and Residency in Abu Dhabi, said his department would release today statistics on violators who had benefited from the amnesty.

“Today, a huge turnout of ‘illegals’ is expected to finalise their transactions,” he said.

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