UAE visa amnesty inundated with jobseekers who arrived on tourist permits

Large numbers of people take advantage of flexible entry to the country but quickly find themselves out of cash

Faral Ally Hamis, from Tanzania, during the second day of visa amnesty at the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs Dubai in Al Awir area. All photos: Pawan Singh / The National

People wait to be seen at the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs Dubai.

Officials help direct those waiting during the second day of visa amnesty in Dubai.

Visitors were given free coconut water at the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs Dubai.

Kashem Samir Hossain, from Bangladesh, during the second day of visa amnesty at the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs.

Officials help during the second day of visa amnesty at the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs Dubai.

Officials deal with the queues at the visa amnesty at the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Al Awir, Dubai.

Maj Gen Obaid Muhair bin Suroor, Deputy Director General of GDRFA, centre, talking to visitors

Officials in the women's section during the visa amnesty

People who have overstayed their residence or visit visas will not be fined

Venus Devera from the Philippines with her 15-month-old daughter Alvia Faith at the General Directorate in Dubai

The two-month initiative is open for people with expired residency and visit visas

Christopher Kyeyunemr, 29, from Uganda, was one of the first people to obtain the exit pass after living illegally for two years

Companies set up their stands to recruit candidates during the visa amnesty

Bachaire Polindao from the Philippines with her 10-month-old daughter Amal Mohamed Mustafa at the amnesty in Dubai

People wait to have their stay in the UAE legalised

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The majority of people seeking a reprieve in the first days of the UAE's visa amnesty had arrived in the country on tourist permits in the hope of securing jobs, a senior Dubai official said.

Speaking to The National, Maj Gen Salah Al Qamzi, assistant director general for violators and foreigners affairs at General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai (GDRFA), said most had failed to follow proper recruitment processes and end up going from one company to another looking for jobs.

The two-month government initiative, which began on Sunday and runs until the end of October, allows those with expired residency and visit visas an opportunity to settle their status or leave their country without incurring fines.

“Most people coming to amnesty centres had come [to the UAE] on visit visas to find a job and overstayed after their visa expired,” said Maj Gen Al Qamzi.

“Many of them don't know how to look for a job. They don't have a CV or know how to apply online. They just go knocking on doors.”

The UAE’s immigration laws states that those entering on a visit visa must be in the country for tourism purposes only, and not to look for employment.

It was in 2022 that the UAE introduced a special visa for jobseekers. The 60-day, multi-entry jobseeker’s visa is to help young talent and skilled professionals find employment in the country. It requires a sponsor or a host, and a different set of documents.

Maj Gen Al Qamzi said that some overstayers quit working for their sponsors, and continued to find alternate jobs without legalising their status.

“We noticed that many amnesty seekers had run away from their sponsors for various reasons and had not changed their status. They were working illegally, and have now decided to get their paperwork in order.”

Second chance

George Alex, 30, arrived in the UAE from Nigeria in 2019 on a visit visa but stayed on after finding a job as a mechanic in a car garage in Sharjah.

However, he lost his job after the pandemic but decided to stay on hoping to find another job.

His visa expired in 2020 and the overstay fines started adding up, leaving Mr Alex worried. The last four years have been tough for him. He was unable to take on new employment because he did not have the money to clear the fines.

“I was living in constant fear because I didn't know what would happen if I got caught,” Mr Alex told The National.

With fines amounting to more than Dh50,000, he is thankful that the amnesty is giving him a second chance. “I don’t want to go back home. I will check with the garage owner if they are willing to sponsor me again so I can change my status.”

Prossy Tebasulwa moved to Abu Dhabi from Uganda in 2017 on an employment visa, but things went awry when her recruiter did not renew her visa in July 2023.

The 41-year-old has been staying “illegally” for a year and was unable to find another job.

Talking to The National, she said she's ready to go home to her “three sons”.

“They are always asking me when I’m coming back home, and yesterday I finally told them that I will return as soon as I get my exit pass,” Ms Tebasulwa said.

At Dubai's Al Awir Centre, Ms Tebasulwa faced a minor setback when immigration officials were unable to process her exit pass because her visa was issued in Abu Dhabi. But, she used her time there to meet recruitment agents stationed at the centre.

“I went to the recruitment booth set up by the Transguard group, and submitted my interest for a job in the field of security,” she said.

“I'm so happy that the UAE amnesty is waiving our fines and giving us a second chance at finding a job.”

More companies are setting up bases at Al Awir Centre to offer jobs to amnesty seekers. “The number of recruitment companies positioned at Al Awir centre has now increased to 16,” said Maj Gen Al Qamzi.

Abdullah Lashkari, director of labour affairs at GDRFA, said that amnesty seekers who secure jobs must legalise their stay as soon as they can.

“Companies have been told that once the recruitment is done, the status of the workers must be changed within days and not months,” said Mr Lashkari.

The visa status can be completed at any of the 86 Amer Centres in Dubai or Al Awir.

“They need to come with their passports and other necessary documents to waive their fines and change status,” he added.