Monday, December 3, 2018

UAE extends amnesty by December 31st

The UAE’s visa amnesty has been extended for one more month granting amnesty seekers more time to settle their visa status in the country, an official told.

Lieutenant Colonel Ahmad Al Dallal, the spokesperson at the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs of the Ministry of Interior, said the amnesty extension came under the directives of  His Highness UAE President Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and would now end on December 31.

The extension is the second time the UAE amnesty period has been lengthened. Originally launched on August 1, the amnesty period was initially set for three months until the end of October; it was then extended until November 30 and then again until December 31.

"The authority will on Tuesday continue to welcome people wishing to avail of the amnesty initiative at the nine registration centres across the UAE so that they can rectify their status," the FAIC said in a statement.

The "Protect Yourself by Modifying Your Status" initiative that granted a three-month grace period for illegal residents to modify their status or leave the UAE without facing fines or legal issues started on August 1 until October 31, 2018.  But the authority extended the amnesty scheme for a month which was supposed to end on November 30, 2018, after the expiry of the extension.

Brigadier Saeed Rakan Al Rashidi, Acting Director-General of Foreigners and Ports Affairs at the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship, said the decision to extend the deadline for another month comes as a "generous initiative" to mark the country's 47th anniversary.

"The extension of the amnesty initiative is a generous gesture from the UAE leaders which is also characterized by their keenness for humanity and supporting people," said Al Rashidi.

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