By Staff Reporter
Over 6,000 visa violators were arrested in inspection campaigns carried out last month after the amnesty scheme ended on December 31. Authorities in the UAE carried out over 270 inspection campaigns, a top official said on Monday.
Deportation is under process for 93 per cent of the violators caught during the inspection campaigns titled ‘Towards a safer society’ that took place throughout January.
“Inspection campaigns will continue, so we advise the public not to take such violations or violators lightly,” Major-General Suhail Saeed Al Khaili, Director-General of the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP), said.
When asked if they will be launching new measures to catch violators or make visa renewal more seamless, the official said there won’t be need for that as procedures are already sufficient and renewal procedures are easy and feasible.
During the four-month grace period from September 1 to December 31 last year, violators were given the opportunity to either leave the country without receiving a re-entry ban or to secure a new work contract and remain in the UAE legally.
“This initiative helped a significant number of individuals regularise their status following the conclusion of the grace period,” he added. “The authority intensified its inspection campaigns nationwide to locate remaining violators and enforce necessary legal actions against them.”
Brigadier General Saeed Salem Al Shamsi, Acting Director General of Identity and Foreigners Affairs at ICP, said the inspection campaigns are carried out in collaboration with relevant government entities.
“Legal measures and fines are imposed on violators as well as those who shelter or employ them. There will be zero tolerance for violators and those who facilitate their illegal stay.”
The Entry and Residence of Foreigners Law punishes anyone who aids, facilitates, or is involved in a residency violation with imprisonment and a fine of no less than Dh10,000.
If an individual employs a violator without being their official sponsor, a fine of Dh50,000 is imposed. If a violator is caught working for someone other than their designated sponsor, they will be detained and face legal proceedings, including imprisonment, deportation, and a permanent ban from re-entering the UAE, explained the Brigadier General.
