An officer taking biometrics of an amnesty seeker on the first day at Al Aweer immigration center in Dubai on Wednesday.
Dubai - Consular staffs, volunteers and social workers explained the amnesty procedures in people's languages.
By Kelly Clarke, Abhishek Sengupta and Angel Tesorero
Published: Thu 2 Aug 2018, 12:00 AM
Last updated: Tue 14 Aug 2018, 3:36 PM
Diplomatic missions and community organisations were on hand to assist their respective compatriots in applying for the UAE general amnesty programme.
One of the advantages of this arrangement was breaking the language barrier. Consular staffs, volunteers and social workers explained the amnesty procedures in their own languages and helped in facilitating the necessary documents for the amnesty seekers.
Early this week, the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship (Faic) called on embassies and diplomatic missions in the UAE to cooperate with them in implementing the 90-day 'Protect Yourself by Modifying Your Status' initiative, which began on Wednesday.
"Embassy officials should help spread the word on the visa amnesty initiative to their people and also explain to them its benefits and the need to fully cooperate with the authority in its efforts to legalise their status and stay peacefully in the country," said Brigadier Saeed Rakan Al Rashidi, Faic director of Residence Affairs.
In Dubai, a special help desk manned by consular staff and community workers at the two amnesty tents (for men and women) set up at the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) office in Al Aweer.
Visible at the GDRFA were representatives from India, Pakistan, Kenya, China, Bangladesh and the Philippines. Amnesty applicants found it very conducive explaining their respective cases in their native language.
India
At 12pm on Wednesday afternoon, just four hours after the start of the three-month UAE amnesty, Naseer Vatanappally, a social worker in Dubai who works closely with the Indian Consulate, said about 50 to 60 outpasses had been issued for Indian national males at the Al Aweer immigration tent.
"We are here to provide help to our compatriots. We have so far assisted about 150 people in the men's lounge, 50-60 of which have received their outpasses. Depending on the individual case, some people do not know where to go or what process to follow, so we are trying to assist them."
An Indian help desk, comprising representatives from the Indian Consulate and Indian charity organisations in the UAE has been set up within the GDRFA tent.
Regarding the most common query from Indian amnesty seekers, Vatanappally said it has mostly dealt with questions by the nationals who do not hold a passport.
"For people who do not have a passport, they need to file a 'lost passport' paper with the Dubai Police first, in order to get the emergency outpass. But to do that, the police need their Emirates ID number. In the case where they do not have an ID either, this can be a problem. The consulate or immigration department cannot issue an outpass without a passport or without a lost passport NOC letter from the police, so we are trying to deal with this issue to find a solution. But for those who have an ID and not a passport, we urge you to file a case with the police first, before coming to the immigration tent in Al Aweer."
Bangladesh
The Bangladesh consulate in Dubai issued 200 one-way travel permits on the opening day of the amnesty while catering to over 500 Bangladeshi expats at the consulate premises in Abu Hail, a top Bangladeshi diplomat told Khaleej Times.
"We had a massive turnout on the first day just as we had expected and successfully managed to issue travel certificates to 200 eligible Bangladeshis," said ASM Zakir Hussain, head of the labour welfare wing at the Bangladesh Consulate in Dubai.
"We are prepared to issue even more travel permits in the subsequent days," he further said, adding that his team at the consulate is also expecting to add temporary resources over the next few weeks to meet the amnesty rush.
Meanwhile, Mohammed Shahidullah, Bangladesh's representative at the GDRFA centre in Al Aweer, said he was approached by close to 100 Bangladeshis at the help desk, all keen to either modify their visa status or leave the country using the amnesty.
An estimated 800,000 Bangladeshi reside in the UAE. Approximately two-thirds of the strong community live and work in Dubai, Sharjah and the northern emirates and are served by the Bangladesh Consulate in Dubai.
According to Hussain, those without a passport or any form of identification can get a one-way travel permit issued by the consulate at a special discounted rate of Dh20 valid only during the three-month amnesty that ends October 31.
China
The UAE's relationship with China may be on the upswing following Chinese President Xi Jingping's historic visit last month but a top community leader said it gives Chinese expatriates no reason to continue living here illegally.
Representing the Chinese consulate at the amnesty centre help desk at the GDRFA in Al Aweer, Chen Zhongqi, urged fellow expats living on invalid visas to come forward and avail of the three-month amnesty that began today.
"We have been regularly making amnesty announcements through Chinese media targeting the 300,000-odd strong community here. We want everyone eligible to take advantage of this scheme and we will do all that it takes to help our countrymen," Zhongqi told Khaleej Times on Wednesday.
"I have met between 10-20 (Chinese) people so far (1pm), but I know there are many more who may not yet feel confident enough to come forward and take advantage of this amnesty. The message needs to reach those that it is in their best interest that they either modify their status or leave the country with out passes," added Zhingqi, vice-chairman of the Dubai-based Chinese Union Society.
An estimated 300,000 Chinese expatriates live in the UAE with a majority of them studying, working or running business ventures in Dubai. However, Zhingqi thinks many Chinese who are illegal today are possibly those visitors who overstayed their 'visas-on-arrival' - a scheme that was rolled out in September 2016.
"Some came here enticed by the prospect of doing business in a buzzing economy like Dubai but made the mistake of illegally staying back. It's a great chance for all such people to modify their status, write off the fines and start afresh without any fear," he said.
Kenya
The Kenyan authorities in Dubai are expecting to cater to 'a few hundreds' of their countrymen during the three-month amnesty that ends on October 31.
Abdi Mohamad, the public relations officer at the Kenyan consulate in Dubai, said he met around 10 of his countrymen at the GDRFA centre's Kenyan help desk in Al Aweer on the first day. "You would expect that number to grow over the days and more so for women - many of who work as domestic workers," he added.
According to Mohamad, around 40,000 Kenyans reside in the UAE - an approximate 80 per cent of who live and work in Dubai. "That's around 32,000 and by our conservative estimate, only about five per cent (1,600) of them would be illegal at this point in time. So we are expecting a steady flow of people over the next three months," Mohamad said.
Philippines
So far the Philippine consulate personnel were the only diplomatic officials who Khaleej Times have witnessed were refunding the expenses paid for by amnesty seekers who opted to avail of the exit pass and go home.
Ron Napao, an ATN (Assistance to Nationals) staff, handed out Dh221 for those who paid for an exit pass and an additional Dh521 fine to remove any absconding case.
The Philippine Consulate also booked a one-way ticket (DXB-MNL) for those who wanted to go home.
Philippine consul-general Paul Raymund Cortes told Khaleej Times that around 30 overstaying Filipinos got an exit pass before the close of day on Wednesday.
reporters@khaleejtimes.com
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