UAE’s three-month amnesty program for visa violators is set to begin on August 1, a senior official announced on Thursday, June 20.
Acting Director General of Foreigners Affairs and Ports Department at the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship (FAIC), Brigadier Saeed Rakan Al Rashedi, said the amnesty program, dubbed as the “Protect Yourself by Modifying your Status” campaign, will give visa violators the choice to leave the country without paying any fees or fines or change their status while paying nominal fees, reported Gulf News.
Earlier, FAIC announced the amnesty program for expats residing in the UAE illegally and called on all violators, sponsors and members of the public to benefit from the specified grace period.
The campaign will be launched in the following weeks.
Ali Mohammed bin Hammad Al Shamsi, Chairman of FAIC, praised the cabinet’s decision, which included reviewing the current residency system, with the aim of helping those who desire to reside in the country and search for work.
He added that the decision will have a positive effect on all aspects of life, including the economy, society and the country’s security, as well as achieve the goals of the UAE Centennial to promote the country’s reputation, support overall investment, reinforce the UAE’s moral value system for future generations, raise the productivity of the national economy, and promote social cohesion, which will achieve the happiness of citizens and residents and improve the UAE’s standard of living.
UAE’s visa amnesty program in 2013, which ran for two months, catered to some 62,000 visa violators.
