Overstay Visa Offered to Illegal Indians, Other Nationals Working in Dubai, UAE

August 1: Hoping to resolve “Catch-22” for foreign workers, United Arab Emirates (UAE) government has launched a landmark amnesty programme that will benefit all illegal foreign workers belonging to India and others countries as well. This programme grants three-month-overstay visa. Report says, UAE is the home of 2.8 million Indian expatriates, which is counted as the largest expatriates’ community in the country.

According to the three-month visa programme, foreign workers, including Indians, will be allowed to stay for a period of six months in their land which is beyond the expiry date, while preventing them to pay penalties.

Catch-22 is a paradoxical situation from which an individual cannot escape because of contradictory rules.

According to some reports, the government is not releasing any specific numbers but it has said that it expects thousands of people working as primary labourers hailing from countries like Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal and Philippines, to take the advantage of amnesty by the end of October 2018.

During a survey, it was found that the population of UAE at present is 9 million, and out of this, only 12 per cent are Emiratis.

Centres have been set up in several places of the nation to process the applicants. Following this, Major General Mohammad Ahmed Al Marri, the Director of Dubai office said, “No one will stay at home while there is a good chance to solve their problem.”