UAE amnesty: Bangladeshi woman, two daughters can now live legally after 16 years

Sharjah - The woman doesn't know the whereabouts of her husband.

The General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) in Sharjah helped a 55-year-old woman from Bangladesh and her two daughters, aged 15 and 16, to modify their status and live legally in the UAE.
The woman has been living in the UAE for nearly two decades and none of the family members has passports or IDs - the reason why the girls never went to school.
Colonel Hazeem bin Falah Al Suwaidi, director of the department of entry and residence permits at the GDRFA in Sharjah, told Khaleej Times that the mother approached the department to solve their problem. 
The woman told the officer that she does not know the whereabouts of her husband who had left her. 
The woman has a sister who married a UAE national and became a citizen. The helpless trio are supported by her sister. 
The illegal resident could not approach the authorities concerned with her problem as she did not have money to pay the mounting fines. 
The GDRFA is taking necessary steps to help the mother and her daughters modify their illegal status as part of the amnesty scheme. "The amnesty will change the life of my daughters and help them achieve their goals. We can now live without fear," the mother said. 
Al Suwaidi urged illegal residents to avail the opportunity of amnesty scheme and benefit from the grace period.  "They can leave the country without paying penalties or stay if they find a job," he said. 

• Sharjah