Dubai doubles immigration officers on duty amid final week surge of visa amnesty seekers

Huge numbers expected as overstayers rush to settle status before October 31

The number of immigration officers at Dubai's Al Awir Centre has been doubled in a bid to deal high numbers of visa amnesty seekers in the last few days of the initiative. With the deadline for the UAE visa amnesty on Thursday, the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai (GDRFA) advised any candidates who have not yet come forward to do so as soon as possible.

Amnesty seekers flocked to the centre – one of many ready to welcome overstayers across the UAE this week – on Monday as thousands sought to resolve visa-related issues in the final days of the initiative, which ends on October 31. Tens of thousands are seeking exit permits to leave the country and the GDRFA has implemented a special plan to handle the anticipated influx of applicants in the final days of the amnesty, Lt Col Salem bin Ali, director of the customer happiness department at the authority, told The National.

“We have doubled the number of officers as we expect many people to show up for the last week of the amnesty. It is normal and we’ve seen that in former amnesties,” Lt Col bin Ali said. He also confirmed there will be no extension.

Dubai's Al Awir Centre during the final days of the amnesty – in pictures

Every exit pass allows a 14-day window

Companies have been told to stop recruiting overstayers, as had been the case in the early days of the amnesty, as there is no longer enough time for the procedure to arrange an employment visa with so few days to go until the end of the initiative.

It is believed that many people have waited until the last days of the amnesty in the hope of getting a job opportunity in the country. Lt Col bin Ali assured them they can still return to find employment after leaving.

“If you cannot find a job, please leave the country, you can come back, you are most welcome anytime,” he said. “If someone gets an exit pass on October 31, then he or she has 14 days to leave the country without fines. Many are afraid they will not be able to return to the country if they leave but there is no ban on people getting the exit pass.”

He urged everyone with an Emirates ID to go directly to an Amer immigration centre to get an exit pass. Those without an Emirates ID can have their fingerprints done at Al Awir Centre and their exit pass should be processed within three days.

“With few days left, people should seize the opportunity. We are working in Al Awir Centre from 8am to 8pm,” Lt Col bin Ali added.

Plans to return

Innocent Chibuzo, 34, from Nigeria, decided to wait until the final week of the amnesty in the hope of finding employment before taking the decision to get an exit visa.

“I came on a visit visa in February 2020, a few days before the outbreak of Covid-19,” he told The National. “I couldn’t find a job and stayed illegally in the country.”

Mr Chibuzo has worked on a construction site in Abu Dhabi for the past four years but said he could not get an employment visa. In that time, he has accumulated fines of about Dh80,000.

“I kept searching for a job in the last two months in the hope of waiving the fines and stay legally in the UAE. But now I want to get an exit pass and leave the country without paying the visa fines,” he said. “I booked a flight on October 31 to return to Nigeria. “I want to return and apply for a job in a proper way.”

Eman Ganam, from Morocco, got her exit pass one year after her residency visa had expired.

“I worked in a coffee shop but had problems with my sponsor in Dubai. He cancelled my residency and I stayed illegally hoping to get a new job,” she said. “I've now got the exit pass. I’m planning to return to the UAE with an employment visa.”

What are the visa overstay rules?

The financial penalty has been standardised at Dh50 ($13.6) a day for tourists or residents who overstay their visas, following updates by the Federal Authority For Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) in October 2022.

Residency visa holders are given six months to leave the country or change their status by finding a job once their visa expires or is cancelled.

The amnesty supports those who remain in the country illegally beyond this grace period.

Where to apply for the amnesty

There are locations throughout the Emirates where an application for amnesty can be processed.

In Abu Dhabi, people can apply at ICP centres in Al Dhafra, Sweihan, Al Maqam and Al Shahamah and private typing centres that are recognised by the ICP.

Typing centres typically perform administrative services, including application submissions.

In Dubai, amnesty services will be provided at its Amer service centres, and the centre for immigration violators in Al Awir.

Amnesty applications can be made at ICP centres throughout the rest of the Emirates.

Service centres will be operational daily throughout the amnesty from 8am until 8pm.

Why is there a need for a visa amnesty?

Such amnesties provide a reprieve for those without valid documentation who could be reluctant to come forward due to concerns about potential fines or jail sentences.

This allows the government to ensure people are living in the Emirates legally, an important consideration against the backdrop of a population boom.

It is also a chance for many to grasp the chance of a new start – whether in the UAE or back in their home country.

Most residents living or working in the UAE would usually have a two or three-year visa in their passport. That has since been replaced with the Emirates ID.

In April 2022, visa changes were brought in by the UAE Cabinet and several more categories were added. This included an expansion of golden visas and the introduction of green visas, with several of the new categories aimed at self-employed people and business owners.

The new rules came into effect in September of that year.