Latest news with #overstayers
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.
RNZ News
02-07-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Proposed changes to New Zealand dawn raid laws not enough, Pacific advocates say
(file image) Protesters part in the Savali Ole Filemu peaceful march in Central Auckland urging politcal parties to protect overstayers. Photo: Teanau Tuiono Pacific advocates in Aotearoa say a proposed law change for out-of-hours immigration visits - like dawn raids - doesn't go far enough. The contentious enforcement practice involves immigration officers searching homes for people they have reasonable grounds to believe are liable for deportation between 6pm and 8am. It has been criticised for targeting Pacific people, particularly in the wake of the dawn raids of the 1970s and 80s. In 2021, the then-government apologised for the Dawn Raids era. However, two years later, the plight of a Tongan man whose home was dawn raided while his children slept hit headlines. At the time, his lawyer Sione Foliaki described how police and immigration officers showed up at the family's South Auckland home at 5am. "The loud banging was heard first by the children. Of course they didn't know it was police. They were terrified ... and crying and very, very upset and scared," he told RNZ Pacific. "And the parents heard it from upstairs - it was that loud - and they looked out the window from upstairs and saw that it was police. So they ran downstairs to try and calm the children. The case prompted Immigration New Zealand to cease out-of-hours immigration searches, and an official review was ordered . Now, a bill has been brought before parliament seeking to incorporate the review's findings into law. If successful, it would result in extra checks being required before a raid is carried out, and sign-off from a district court judge. However, it does not go as far as banning dawn raids, something Pasifika advocates and leaders have long called for. No dawn raids have been carried out in the country for the past two years. Former National MP Anae Arthur Anae has said the practice was unnecessary. "They've now proved they can do it within the normal hours. They don't need to go and do what they were doing before." Anae has been a long-term advocate for visa-free travel between Pacific Island nations and Aotearoa. Of the 60 countries that have visa-free access, none are Pacific nations. Meanwhile, Australians, UK nationals, and European visitors all qualified for visa-free access. Anae said the double-standard against Pacific was part of the problem. "If you make it very difficult for people to come, when they come they're going to stay as long as they can because there's not guarantee they can come back tomorrow when they go back on time. "I think Immigration [NZ which] created all of this in my opinion should look at themselves and ask themselves these questions: 'Can we find a way of eliminating the need for people to overstay." Tongan community leader Pakilau Manase Lua agreed with Mr Anae and said New Zealand must face up to the bias in its system. He pointed to trends in immigration enforcement that showed Pacific people, and people of colour are overrepresented. "Why is it justified to target people who are here trying to find a better way of life," Pakilau said. "They're here in the country. In fact, they're actually paying taxes, and some of them are paying PAYE, Even though they're unlawful, they pay taxes by the fact …they're working." An overstayer who cannot be named for privacy reasons sharing his story at a public meeting in Ōtara on 6 May 2023 that was sparked by a recent dawn raid of Pasifika overstayer in Auckland. Photo: RNZ Pacific / Lydia Lewis Undocumented migrants also contributed via GST when they bought things like groceries and petrol, he said. Green Party immigration spokesperson Teanau Tuiono said an amnesty for overstayers was the right thing to do, particularly in light of the 2021 Dawn Raids apology. He supported outlawing out-of-hours immigration enforcement visits. "If they [Immigration New Zealand] have found a way to better engage with our communities, then why is this going to be on the statute books? Why is this going to be part of the rules? It should be removed because we know of the trauma that it does create," Tuiono said. Immigration New Zealand said in a statement that any out-of-hours compliance activity was rare and a last resort. Prior to the 2023 review, the enforcement tactic made up three percent of compliance visits. "While we retain the option of an out of hours visit it has so far not been judged necessary in an individual case," department spokesperson Steve Watson said. "We have also focused on visiting employers and since the…review we have put into practice an immigration infringement regime which allows us to sanction non-compliant employers." Watson also said the department would implement any changes that resulted from the proposed law changes. These were part of the government's wide-ranging Immigration (Fiscal Sustainability and System Integrity) Amendment Bill. The bill was at select committee stage. RNZ Pacific also sought comment from Immigration Minister Erica Stanford, but she did not respond before publication.
Japan Times
18-06-2025
- Health
- Japan Times
Government ordered to compensate overstayers who got sick in detention
A court order has been issued to the government to pay ¥1.2 million ($8,300) in damages to two overstayers who got sick while they were held at a detention center. In their filed lawsuit at the Tokyo District Court, an Iranian and a Turkish, both men, sought ¥30 million in state compensation, claiming that their sufferings, including a deterioration of their health, had been brought upon them by their prolonged detention. The fact that the plaintiffs' health worsened markedly at a detention facility of the Immigration Services Agency led to the conclusion that their confinement ran counter to a U.N. treaty ensuring individual rights, such as that to self-determination, as well as to the immigration control and refugee recognition law, presiding Judge Tomoko Honda said in her ruling Tuesday. According to the ruling and other records, the two men had been placed in the agency's immigration control center in the city of Ushiku, Ibaraki Prefecture, several times between 2016 and 2020 and suffered depression. Both have been granted temporary release and are now applying for refugee status. Stressing that the authorities should abide by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights when treating overstayers, the judge said immigration officials "neglected the U.N. treaty and violated the law by arbitrarily detaining the plaintiffs, an act that is impermissible." "The ruling is epoch-making" because it interpreted the law's clauses in the context of the international treaty, said Ryutaro Ogawa, the lawyer for the plaintiffs.
RNZ News
29-05-2025
- General
- RNZ News
More cases emerge of NZ teens stuck in limbo, fearing deportation
Daman Kumar was granted residency after ministerial intervention in February. Photo: Supplied An immigration expert claims the system is failing children of overstayers residing in New Zealand unlawfully after more cases emerge in the community. Meanwhile, a community leader who has supported one such teenager says the recent cases represent the tip of an iceberg after almost 20 years have passed since legislative reform removed the right to citizenship by birth for children born in New Zealand. In February, 18-year-old Daman Kumar - himself an overstayer - was granted residency after ministerial intervention . Kumar, who spoke to RNZ in 2023, described living without a valid visa for nearly two decades . Kumar believed others like him deserved the same chance. "It's a very uncomfortable feeling to have, and the topic itself should be discussed so they can find some solutions or ideas for what they can do for people in this situation," he told RNZ on Thursday. "It has been going on for a long time." Harry, not his real name, was born in New Zealand. However, unlike most Kiwi teens, he has never been to school, does not have a bank account, a driver's licence or even a passport. Now 18 years old, Harry is an overstayer. "Life is really tough," he said. "[You] can't work, can't provide for yourself, can't go to the doctor. We are only surviving because of friends, family and the community." Harry's father was deported when he was just 3 days old. His mother's visa expired in 2012. Fearing deportation, Harry's mother kept him hidden from the system for nearly two decades. "It was really hard for my mum, but she's pretty strong and the community helped her," he said. Harry only became aware of his unlawful legal status around age 11. "I couldn't go to school because the school was asking for a passport and I didn't have one," he said. Harry had not visited a doctor since he was 7, noting that the pandemic was particularly hard. Daljit Singh Photo: Rizwan Mohammad The Sikh community in South Auckland has supported Harry and his mother for years. "A few years ago, some of our volunteers at the gurdwara told me about this mother and child, and I was shocked when I realised that the kid - who was about 14 at the time - had never been to school," said Daljit Singh, president of the Supreme Sikh Society. "They were born in New Zealand and have been living in this country without committing any crimes. They should be able to go to school and live like every other kid in New Zealand." Singh said other children were in similar situations, urging the government to intervene. Ben, another teenager, also fears deportation - along with his 13-year-old brother. "I was born in New Zealand in 2006, just a couple of months after the law changed," he said. "I've been in the country for 18 years." That law - the 2006 Citizenship Amendment Act - ended automatic citizenship for children born in New Zealand to non-resident parents. Alastair McClymont Photo: Supplied As a result, many children born to undocumented immigrants have grown up without access to basic rights such as education and healthcare. There are possibly hundreds more kids in this exact same situation - living in the shadows, fearing deportation," immigration lawyer Alastair McClymont told RNZ. He said official reports had been submitted to previous governments by the Ministry of Social Development and the Office of the Children's Commissioner but were ignored. "Then, after about 10 years, it just seemed to be that it was forgotten about. The officials forgot about it. The ministers forgot about, Cabinet forgot about it, and it was just swept under the carpet and ignored," he said. McClymont said the issue was surfacing now because the first cohort of children born after the 2006 reform was implemented were finishing high school - only to discover their futures were in limbo. He called on the government to revise the law. "What I'm advocating for is a change to the citizenship laws which will bring New Zealand into line with other similar countries," he said. "There, birthright citizenship is conditional on 10 years of habitual residence. Born in the country, plus 10 years of living there, gives you entitlement to citizenship." As a short-term fix, McClymont proposed a one-off policy to regularise the status of children born in New Zealand between 2006 and 2016. He had sent letters to several ministers, including Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, Immigration Minister Erica Stanford and party leaders from across the political spectrum. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone Immigration New Zealand told RNZ in February it did not keep accurate data on how many children under 17 were in the country without a valid visa . The agency said its overstayer data was limited by inconsistencies between border movements and visa records, historical data entry issues, and missing or inaccurate documentation. Despite their uncertain status, Harry and Ben remained hopeful. "I would like to go to university and study engineering," Ben said. "I never went to school, so I don't think I can go to university," Harry said. "But I'd like to learn a course, get a job and buy a house. "I'm pretty similar to almost everyone - just had a tougher life. I also deserve to live here and help the people who've helped me." McClymont said New Zealand was creating an unfair situation by making children suffer for the actions of their parents. "If a child's parents are imprisoned, would we continue to punish the child?" he said. "Of course not. We would care for that child, so how is this any different? "We're not caring for these children. Instead, we're depriving them of fundamental human rights and forcing them to live in fear of being deported to a foreign country."
