Dubai now has 15 smart Amer centres for visa transactions

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From November 1, 2017, typing centres in the UAE stopped processing visa-related services.- Supplied photo
From November 1, 2017, typing centres in the UAE stopped processing visa-related services.- Supplied photo

Dubai - Fifty Amer centres are expected to replace 600 typing centres in the emirate in the long run.

By Staff Reporter

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Published: Sat 6 Jan 2018, 4:00 PM

Last updated: Sun 7 Jan 2018, 7:56 AM

Residents in Dubai now have 15 smart Amer centres to choose from to complete their visa and residency transactions under one roof. According to the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs-Dubai (GDRFA-Dubai), 44,100 transactions were completed at the 15 centres that opened last year.
Fifty Amer centres are expected to replace 600 typing centres in the emirate in the long run. From November 1, 2017, typing centres in the UAE stopped processing visa-related services due to repeated instances of documents going missing and filing wrong information.
As the GDRFA unveiled a report to highlight its achievements in 2017, it said Amer centres are expected to increase efficiency and finish up to 6,000 transactions a day. It receives and processes UAE visa applications and routes them to the GDRFA electronically, enabling residents to finish visa transactions without visiting the GDRFA headquarters or its external branches.
Travellers to Dubai
According to the GDRFA-Dubai report, the number of travellers in Dubai (arrivals and departures) through the sea, land and air ports touched 52.95 million. This marks a 6.6 per cent increase in the number of travellers recorded in 2016 (46.82 million).
Major-General Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri, director general of GDRFA, said: "We are committed to providing the highest standards of safety and quality at our airports in response to the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to make the Dubai International Airport a gate of peace for people from different countries."
Residency transactions
The authority carried out 18.63 million residency-related transactions in 2017, ranging from entry allowances to issuing residence visas and UAE passports. The number of visas issued and renewed documents touched 3.88 million, and while almost 15 million entry permits were issued last year.
A total of 14,893 people were caught in Dubai last year for staying in the country illegally. GDRFA-Dubai carried out 240 campaigns to monitor illegals.
reporters@khaleejtimes.com  


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