Nigerian national Abu Backr* couldn’t stop thinking about his daughter the moment he learnt that the UAE Government would be offering amnesty for residence visa violators.
His daughter was only a few months old when he left home and flew to Dubai in 2019 to work as a security guard. “I keep remembering her face. I miss her every day of my life,” said 38-year-old Abu. Now his daughter is five years old and she has never seen her father in person.
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With a huge overstay fine in his name, Abu has been stuck in the UAE for nearly three years without a valid residency.
Abu was one among many who lost their livelihoods when Covid struck. “My employer’s office was shut and my passport was also with them.”
By the end of 2021, his visa expired and he got his passport from his employer. He tried applying for a new job but found no luck. “I stayed in the country illegally,” Abu admitted. In September 2022, he finally managed to secure a job —but his overstay fines were too high for him to pay.
“Since then, I never got the chance to have a regular job nor fly back home,” he told Khaleej Times. Now, he works part-time as a car cleaner in Dubai.
The UAE’s recent announcement about a two-month grace period gave Abu hope. From September 1, the government will be offering residence visa violators a chance to either leave the country or regularise their status without having to pay fines.
“I am very happy. Soon I will be able to see my daughter and play with her,” Abu said.
‘I was scared every day’
Lana Hub*, a 45-year-old housekeeper from Indonesia, has been in the UAE for nearly eight years.
She came to the UAE on a housemaid visa and worked for a family in Abu Dhabi. Unfortunately, her employers abruptly left the country, leaving her without a job and an expired visa. With no money and no way to return home, she became an overstayer.
“I was scared every day, thinking I could be caught and deported. I wanted to work and send money back to my family, but it was impossible with my status,” said Lana.
Over the years, she worked odd jobs here and there, but the fear of being caught loomed every single minute. “When I heard about the grace period, I felt as if a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders,” said Lana.
“I can finally see a way out of this situation. I want to regularise my status and find a stable job. This is a second chance for me,” she said.
A ray of hope
Asif KF*, a 30-year-old cleaner from Bangladesh, has been in the UAE for five years. He came to Dubai with dreams of earning a better living to support his family back home.
He found a job as a cleaner with a small company. However, the firm faced financial difficulties and shut down.
“I didn’t know what to do. I needed to send money back to my family, but I couldn’t find another job with my visa expired,” said Asif. He continued to work part-time jobs, like cleaning homes and cars, whenever possible but he lived in constant fear of being deported.
“This is my chance to make things right. I want to legalise my stay here, find a stable job, and continue supporting my family,” Asif said. “I am grateful to the UAE Government for this opportunity. It gives me and many others a second chance.”
Illegal residents have started counting the days until September 1, when the amnesty scheme is expected to start. However, the procedures — as well as terms and conditions — to get fines waived and regularise one’s status are yet to be announced.
[Editor’s Note: The names of individuals who are quoted in this story have been changed due to their illegal residency status.]