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Khaleej Times
23-07-2025
- Khaleej Times
UAE: Why thousands of illegal residents who ignored visa amnesty are now being deported
While the UAE's visa amnesty programme gave thousands a chance to legalise their status or exit the country without penalties last year, many overstayers chose not to act and are now paying the price. Experts and social workers told Khaleej Times that false hope, denial, and misinformation led many residents to ignore repeated warnings. Now, these overstayers face detention, blacklisting, and consequences from mounting debts to being barred from returning to the UAE. 'A lot of people had issues, but they didn't take the amnesty seriously,' said Firose Khan, operations manager at Arabian Business Centre. 'Some are still residing without a visa even after being regularised during the amnesty. The government gave them a full four-month window, until December 31, but they stayed beyond that. Now they have accumulated heavy fines.' Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels. The UAE's recent visa amnesty ran from September 1 to December 31, 2024, and allowed visa violators to either leave without incurring a re-entry ban or to regularise their stay by finding legal employment. Authorities extended the deadline by 60 days due to high demand. But for many, the amnesty came and went unnoticed or unutilised. 'Some overstayers did try to find jobs but failed. Others didn't even attempt to regularise. It became a habit for them,' said Masiuddin Mohammed, managing director of Superjet Group, which has two Amer centres under the company. 'Now they are being caught and deported. Once you are caught, you will be blacklisted and you won't be able to come back.' Mohammed said the consequences of residing illegally go far beyond deportation. 'They can't access healthcare. Many have hospital bills and no sponsor. Some have outstanding bank loans or legal cases. When amnesty was available, they had a golden opportunity to reset their lives legally.' On Tuesday, the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) announced that over 32,000 people were apprehended between January and June 2025 for violating residency laws. Around 70 per cent have already been deported, while others are awaiting legal procedures. 'The government is always here to help. Those who go voluntarily and pay their fines may still get a discount and avoid a ban. But if you get caught, it becomes a serious legal problem,' added Mohammed. Authorities have stated that inspections are being intensified, and those who employ undocumented residents will face penalties as well. Community leaders also point to another dangerous trend — undocumented domestic workers operating illegally in homes. 'These overstayers think another amnesty will come, so they continue staying illegally,' said Abdullah Kamampalam, a social worker and a member of the Sharjah Indian Association. 'There are housemaids working off the books. And when there is a dispute, residents can't take any legal action as they don't know their real identity or status.' Kamampalam added that in some cases, theft and abuse go unreported because there is no official record of these workers. 'We urge residents to hire from trusted maid agencies and avoid undocumented workers.' The UAE has implemented four visa amnesties since 2007, the most recent being the 2024 program. Officials said that they offered all possible support, from grace periods to online and offline application options. But with the programme now closed, residency fines have been reinstated and violators face full legal consequences. 'It's a chance that many have lost and the consequences may last a lifetime,' said Mohammed.
Khaleej Times
02-04-2025
- Business
- Khaleej Times
UAE: How some residents turned 4-day Eid Al Fitr break into a 16-day holiday
With the Eid Al Fitr break coinciding with school vacations this year, some UAE residents have extended their holidays to over two weeks. This alignment of holidays enabled families, particularly those who haven't celebrated Eid in their hometowns for years, to plan longer trips. For Masiuddin Mohammed, managing director of Superjet Group, this Eid was extra special. 'I haven't celebrated Eid with my family and relatives in India for a few years. Since my children had school vacations and Eid Al Fitr fell within this break, I sent them home early during Ramadan,' said Masiuddin, who hails from Hyderabad. He joined them on March 28, just two days before the festival. "It was an incredible celebration, being with my family after such a long time. The warmth of meeting everyone, performing Eid prayers together, and enjoying traditional meals made it special. This was the perfect opportunity to reconnect with my roots,' he said. 'Spending Eid back home is an experience like no other. The joy of praying together, sharing festive meals, and being surrounded by loved ones is irreplaceable,' added Masiuddin. Masiuddin will be returning to the UAE on Thursday (March 3), after spending a week in India. Like him, many other residents took advantage of the long holiday to visit their hometowns. Planning ahead for an extended celebration Similarly, Mohammed El Saleh, a manager at Ansar Group, decided to extend his break to spend quality time with family in Alexandria, Egypt. 'I sent my family home early, on March 21, so they could spend Ramadan with our loved ones. When I joined them later, the preparations had already begun,' said El Saleh. Describing the celebration, El Saleh said, 'We celebrated in a grand manner. Many of my cousins flew in from different parts of the world. Some of them I was meeting for the first time since the pandemic,' he said. El Saleh, who had taken an early leave on March 27, will be returning to Dubai on April 7. Combining Eid with local festivals For some residents, the extended break is not just about Eid but also about celebrating other important regional festivals. Abdul Salam and Vishnu Kumar, both employees at Reliance Aluminium, decided to extend their break to celebrate Vishu, the harvest festival of Kerala, which is on April 14. "We were casually discussing our travel plans when we realised that Eid and Vishu were close together. Instead of taking separate trips, we decided to combine both celebrations,' said Abdul Salam. 'Since we had already completed a major order at work, our boss was fine with us taking extra days off. We assured him that we would cover any pending work after our return." The two friends, who belong to the same town in Kerala, are returning to Dubai on April 15 after celebrating both festivals. 'Our children will miss a week's school since classes resume on April 7, but we are confident they will catch up with lessons quickly,' added Abdul Salam. High demand for flights With so many residents taking long breaks, air travel demand has surged. The trend of combining Eid with school holidays and regional festivals has led to packed flights and skyrocketing airfares. 'After the pandemic, airfare prices were already high, and most of them did not get chance to celebrate Eid at home because of academic commitments. Many families are traveling for Eid, and in places like Kerala, people are staying back for Vishu as well. Since they are taking extended holidays now, they are likely to skip summer vacations,' said Subair Thekepurathvalappil, senior manager at Wisefox Tourism. This year many people planned their trips ahead to make the most of their leave. 'With schools closed and employers granting extra days off, many travellers decided to maximise their time back home. We have seen an increase in bookings for extended holidays compared to previous years,' he added.
