Unwed mothers and their children in UAE may also have a shot at returning home through the amnesty program, Director-General of the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) Major General Mohammed Al Marri revealed.
More than 70 Filipino and African children are believed to in the Dubai Central Prison with their mothers who are serving jail sentences in the UAE for a variety of criminal offences, reported Nawal al Ramahi in The National.
In a press conference, Al Marri revealed that the government’s decision to roll out the amnesty program was a humanitarian decision.
“They are people. Some of them not educated, some of them because of some reason, they are put in in this situation. That’s why we are here to support and to help these people to stand again and start working,” said Al Marri.
Although not every applicant would be granted amnesty, a dedicated team would be assigned to women who gave birth to undocumented children.
Under the amnesty scheme, illegal residents will be permitted to leave the country without having to pay fines or being barred from entering the country again.
Under the UAE law, it is illegal for anyone to have sex outside the marriage.
