DUBAI, 12 June 2007 — In light of the three-month amnesty the UAE announced on June 3 for illegal residents to leave the country without being banned from re-entry or fined, hundreds of Indian workers have descended upon collection centers to process their paperwork in order to leave the country.
The Indian mission had set up 11 application collection centers to meet the demand for the three-month amnesty announced by the UAE Cabinet.
As part of the amnesty, workers can re-enter the country later on to seek employment, Labor Undersecretary Hameed bin Demas said.
Brig. Mohammad Al-Merri, director of the Dubai Naturalization and Residency Department, said illegal workers should make use of the amnesty period to legalize their status or leave the emirates. He also warned those employing illegal workers that no mercy would be shown to them.
The penalty for those who employ or provide shelter to illegal workers will be one month in jail and Dh50,000 fine for each worker.
Indians seeking the amnesty need to arrive at the immigration office with a plane ticket home. The last time the UAE issued such an amnesty was in 2003.
Meanwhile, an airline passenger advocate’s group is calling on Indian carriers to offer reduced fares to returning Non-Resident Indians taking advantage of this amnesty.
All India Airport User’s Forum (AIAUF) has asked airline authorities to introduce discounted fares for transporting those who will avail the public amnesty declared by the UAE government. Both Air-India and Indian are state-owned carriers that fly to and from the UAE.
