Malian shepherd who left his Qatari sponsor seeks amnesty

Abu Dhabi - Bilaal claims that his employer brought him on a visit visa and made him to work at his home in Abu Dhabi.

Amnesty has come as a huge relief for a Malian national, who was brought to the UAE by his Qatari sponsor to look after his falcons, and later reported him as absconding.
Ali Bilal, 27, who came to apply for exit pass at the Shahama Immigration centre on Thursday, told Khaleej Times that his employer left the country after filing an absconding case against him.
But unlike in other cases where absconding workers are always on residence visa, Bilaal claims that his employer brought him on a visit visa and made him to work at his home in the Wathba area of Abu Dhabi where he looked after his falcons. The employer did not apply for a residence visa or Emirates ID, said Bilal.
The Malian has been living illegally in the UAE since 2016.
"My boss brought me here in the beginning of 2016. Earlier, I was working at his camel farm in Qatar and had the Qatari residence visa under his sponsorship," said Bilaal.
"I spent seven months working for him without receiving any salary. He also didn't apply for a residence visa for me. I thought it wasn't even required because he never talked about it and besides, I didn't know the rules here."
Bilaal said the Qatari had promised to pay him the same salary (Dh1,000), which he was earning while in Qatar.
And when he got tired of working for free, Bilaal said he ran away from his employer and stayed with his friends in Sharjah.
He later learned that his employer, who later returned to Qatar, had filed an absconding case against him and also turned in his passport to the authorities.
"Since then, I have been staying in Al Dhaid and doing odd jobs like helping mechanics at garages in the Sharjah industrial area to earn a living," he said. "It's however very hard as the pay is very little and sometimes nothing at all.
"I am really tired of this kind of life, and I want to go back to my country. I may return later so I can find a decent job."
Bilal said he was happy when he heard about the visa amnesty news as it could be his only hope to exit the country without facing legal prosecution.
He said he went to the Sharjah immigration centre on the first day of amnesty scheme to register for an exit pass. But after explaining his case to the officials there, he was referred to Abu Dhabi where his passport might have been deposited by his employer.
"I have come here at Shahama centre to see if I can be helped. I want to see that my issue is sorted out quickly so that I go back home," he said.
ismail@khaleejtimes.com

• UAE
• Abu Dhabi