UAE Amnesty 2018,6-month visa for violators who seek jobs

A six-month visa announced by the UAE government for amnesty seekers to stay back and search for jobs is a golden opportunity for them to start life afresh here.

Although the UAE has granted amnesty to residency law violators several times in the past, it is the first time that amnesty seekers are getting a temporary visa to aid in their job hunt.

Amnesty seekers who already have a job offer can immediately move to a residency visa during the amnesty period. Those who want to stay back but have not managed to find a job can avail of the six-month visa.

However, the six-month temporary visa and new residency visa will be issued to those who entered the UAE through legal channels only, as others who came here illegally will get a two-year entry ban. They can leave the country without facing any legal action including fines but can re-enter the UAE only after two years.

The six-month visa will be issued to the amnesty seeker on his or her own sponsorship, said a statement issued by the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship (FAIC).

The visa holder will be eligible to find a job in the government or private sector during these six months. If they get a new job during this period, they can move to the new residency visa.

However, if they don’t find a job within six months, they have to leave the UAE, FAIC said in a statement. It is understood that they can come back to the UAE on a new visa as they are not subject to an entry ban.

The authority is expected to announce the cost and procedures for the six-month visa soon.

Amnesty seekers looking for a job can also register on a portal of the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE), which will help them find jobs.

Foreign diplomats of the majority labour-sending countries to the UAE told Gulf News that they welcomed this new step by the UAE and urged their compatriots to utilise the opportunity.

“My congratulations to the UAE government for this initiative. We welcome the move because it gives a second chance to Indians who may have overstayed their visas for technical reasons,” said Navdeep Singh Suri, the Indian Ambassador to the UAE.

“We have already been trying to assist these individuals on an informal basis. The proposed MoHRE portal would be of great value to workers who find themselves stranded simply because they were laid off by their employers,” Suri said.

Mohammad Imran, the Bangladeshi Ambassador to the UAE, said the six-month visa for amnesty seekers is an important step in helping such people. “Hope this will help Bangladeshi nationals who want to find a new job here.”

Rowena Pangilinan Daquipil, chargé d’affaires at the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi, said, “Yes, of course, we welcome this move. But we leave the decision of whether to exit or stay within this amnesty period to our compatriots.”

She noted that those who exit can come back as no ban will be imposed on them. “Both options are good, so we leave it to our nationals to decide for themselves,” she said.

Sabarullah Khan, chargé d’affaires at the Sri Lankan Embassy in Abu Dhabi, said the six-month visa will be a golden opportunity for amnesty seekers who want to stay back and search for a new job. He urged his compatriots to utilise this opportunity.

UAE visa amnesty guidance for expats to avail the scheme

In a relief for expats whose visas have expired and who are illegally staying back in the UAE, a three-month general visa amnesty by the government from August 1 will help them sort out their status and put their lives together.

Under the scheme called 'Protect Yourself via Rectifying Your Status,' foreigners violating the residency law will be granted a three-month grace period to either leave the country voluntarily without prosecution or rectify their legal status by paying the required fees.

The visa relaxation will lift the fears of over-staying foreigners, reduce the burden on those facing hefty fines, while encouraging illegal expats to make their status legal or voluntarily depart, without incurring a ban. The scheme will end on October 31.

Here is a guide for those seeking to avail the scheme:

Rectifying violators status:

• Exemption from all applicable financial penalties (Penalties of Residency-Emirates ID-Labour card)
• Closing absconding case without recourse to the sponsor
• Fees for rectifying the status (Dh521)
• Adherence to the residency conditions in case of renewal of visa or new sponsor

Exit of Violators (Al Aweer):

1. Shall be exempted from penalties and closing the absconding case, if any.
2. Fees for individual applying for closing the absconding case 121, for private institutions 521, for government institutions 71
3. Exit permit fees Dh 221
4. In case of an exit, a passport is required.
5. In case there is no passport, travel document shall be issued from the consulate after submitting certificate 'To Whom It May Concern' about the loss of passport
6. Violators must provide the ticket and the travel date must be booked after 10 days of visiting the amnesty headquarters
7. Violator's exit will be without a ban.

 Notes:

1: Countries of wars and disasters (Syria-Yemen-Libya)

2: Temporary residency for 6 months shall be issued by the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratization.

3: Beneficiaries of violators amnesty for visa and entry permits of Dubai only.

4: In case the violator wishes to rectify his status inside the country, the visa is issued from another emirates and he has an absconding notification, he should contact the same emirate to close the absconding case.

Details of amnesty 2018 by UAE government

Duration: The duration of the amnesty will be from August 1, 2018 to October 31, 2018 (3 months), subject to extension for a further period of two months depending upon the circumstances.

Beneficiaries: All individuals who are overstaying in the country can utilize the amnesty either to regularize their visa status legally or to exit the country without paying any overstay fines without entry ban.

How to utilise

• The individuals who are staying illegally can regularize their visas by getting a new sponsor. They can submit their application through Amer centers for new visa by paying an Immigration fee of Dh500.
• Those who wish to exit the country can approach Awir Immigration directly and get exit permit without ban. The Immigration will issue exit permit and they can exit the country within 10 days after issuance of permit. A fee of Dh220 is to be paid for the exit permit. The Immigration will take the fingerprints and eye scan as normal procedure and will issue exit permit accordingly.
• Those who entered the country illegally without any documents will get exit clearance with two years ban. They can re-enter the UAE after two years.
• If there is an absconding report against a person, the Immigration will remove absconding report against him with payment of Dh500 and will issue exit permit without ban.

The exit permits will be issued from the concerned Immigration authorities from where the visa is issued. Therefore, the individuals have to approach the immigration authorities of their respective emirates.

The applicants can approach the Immigration either with original Passport or EC issued from the consulate. In case of the passport already submitted in any Immigration office the same will be located immediately and handed over to the applicant directly. If passport is not available, the Consulate can issue EC and exit permit will be issued without police report. They will consider requests of the Consulates for repatriation of individuals in special cases.

Dubai car registration cards to be valid for the lifetime

With the complete migration of vehicle registration and renewal to digital platforms coming into effect on Sunday, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA)  announced that it will start issuing virtual registration cards valid for a lifetime from August 1.

The permanent registration cards will be without an expiry date and will replace the existing plastic cards that are issued annually after the renewal of vehicle registration.This is the third and final phase of adoption of the lifetime registration system with commercial vehicles, taxis and rental cars covered in the first two phases earlier this year.

“The new system will ensure that no plastic cards are issued every year, while the virtual cards will also come without an expiry date. This means a person will register his vehicle once when he buys it and later it is renewed annually after the purchase of insurance and passing of the technical test,” said Sultan Al Marzouqi, director of Vehicles Licensing at RTA’s Licensing Agency.

Once the vehicle inspection or the technical test is done, which is mandatory for all vehicles more than three years old, the renewal of registration can be done either through the RTA’s Dubai Drive mobile application, through its website www.rta.ae or through its call centre (8009090).

“As soon as the renewal is done, the motorist will get an email copy of the e-registration card and it will also reflect on the personal dashboard of the RTA’s app,” added Al Marzouqi.

Though the e-registration card will be accepted at all borders and other foreign countries, Al Marzouqi urged the motorists driving out of the country to print the registration card, just to be on the safer side.

RTA e-wallet

If one wants to avoid the hassle of going through the annual renewal process, motorists can join the RTA’s e-wallet and opt for the auto-renewal option.

“I think the auto-renewal will come as a handy option for many. All you have to do is join the e-wallet through the RTA’s website and transfer sufficient amount of money into the e-wallet account and opt for auto-renewal. This will ensure that once you complete the annual vehicle inspection and renew your insurance policy, the renewal of registration will be done automatically. The e-wallet can also be used to pay fines,” said Al Marzouqi.

The e-wallet could be topped up either using the Nol card or any credit card.

Last week, the RTA announced that the renewal of vehicle registration, ownership certificate and re-insurance certificate will be among eight services to be available only through its digital platforms, completely stopping these services at its customer care centres.

The migration, which will cut down the rush at Tasjeel, Al Shamil and other RTA-affiliated registration centres, will come into effect on Sunday.

The move comes as part of the RTA’s efforts to migrate most of its services to smart platforms.

The latest migration will see eight of its services available online only, including the renewal of registration for all privately owned vehicles that require annual technical testing.

The renewal of registration for commercial fleets as well as new private vehicles that don’t require testing were moved online in 2015 and 2016, respectively.

The fees for online renewal and registration of the vehicles will remain the same with the new registration costing Dh400, while the annual renewal did for Dh350.