Times up for illegal residents and workers in the UAE

The UAE issued a two-month amnesty to illegal residents to leave the country without penalties or having to regularize their visas, local media reported. 

Illegal residents can obtain outpasses and leave the country without penalties, or legalize their visas, Gulf News reported Major General Nasser Awadi Al-Menhali, assistant undersecretary for naturalization, residency and ports affairs, as saying. 

From Dec. 4, fines will be dismissed for those who have a passport and an airline ticket for departure, The National newspaper quoted al-Manhali as saying during a press conference. 

A call center will also be set up in Dubai to assist those planning to leave and the residency department will launch a two-week media campaign to distribute a 24-hour toll-free number, he added. 

In October, municipality inspectors and Dubai police arrested 337 illegal residents. Those detained included 177 street vendors, 104 butchers and fish cleaners, 40 beggars and 16 car washers, according to The National. 

The UAE is increasingly tackling the issue of undocumented immigrants in the country. 

Abu Dhabi launched in July the “No To Violators” campaign to educate UAE residents about illegal immigration. According to UAE laws, anyone who hires or houses an illegal immigrant could face two months in prison or a $27,777 fine, and employing a foreigner who is not in your sponsorship part-time carries a $13,888 penalty.