FAIC hails missions for helping amnesty-seekers

Abu Dhabi - Embassies of various countries have assisted thousands of their citizens in renewing passports and getting emergency travel documents.

UAE authorities have hailed diplomatic missions for their tireless effort in helping their citizens, who are staying illegally in the country, avail of the ongoing amnesty scheme.
Embassies of various countries have assisted thousands of their citizens in renewing passports and getting emergency travel documents and birth certificates for babies so they can be granted relief from hefty penalties.
During a meeting with representatives from different embassies on Monday, officials from the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship (FAIC) praised the efforts of various embassies in helping amnesty-seekers and processing the required documents to ensure that they benefit from the amnesty scheme. 

"Embassies and consulates of different nations have done a commendable job of issuing or processing the necessary documents and providing guidance to their nationals with residency problems, to ensure that they can legalise their status or leave the country without facing legal issues," said Brigadier Saeed Rakan Al Rashidi, acting director-general of foreigners and ports affairs at the FAIC.
"Diplomatic missions should continue to fully cooperate and push for greater efficiency in processing the documents on time, so that several other people can benefit from the amnesty."
Amnesty extension
The 'Protect Yourself by Modifying Your Status' initiative, which was launched by the FAIC on August 1, was supposed to end on October 31. However, as some embassies and consulates were overwhelmed with documents to process, the FAIC decided to extend it till December 1.
The FAIC further extended the scheme for another month, till December 31, on the occasion of the UAE National Day.
"The amnesty initiative was intended to provide decent opportunities to those looking for social and economic stability in the country," said Al Rashid.
He said people seeking employment after regularising their status can avail of the privilege to obtain a six-month temporary residence visa.
The amnesty initiative also grants a one-year residence visa to families of people from war-torn countries, including Yemen and Syria, without restrictions. The visa, which will be offered to the refugees regardless of the status of their residence, is intended to offer them a chance to improve their living conditions until they are ready to return to their home countries, said officials.
According to the FAIC, the amnesty is provided to all kinds of illegal residents in the UAE, including workers and families whose residence visas have long expired; people who have been staying beyond the validity of their visit visas; and those who have illegally entered the country without visas.
Al Rashidi urged people who are still staying illegally in the UAE to avail of the amnesty during the remaining days of December to avoid problems.
He warned that intensive campaigns will be conducted across the country to crack down on violators of residence laws after the end of the amnesty initiative. Those who will be caught living illegally in the UAE will face tough penalties.
KT NANO EDIT
Second chances
The amnesty for those overstaying their visa terms would not have been possible without the support of embassies and consulates of different countries. Their work has often been ignored these past five months but credit is due to staff at missions for assisting people with the paperwork and other procedures. We salute their humanitarian service.
ismail@khaleejtimes.com

• Abu Dhabi