As the UAE began its two-month amnesty programme, many illegal residents rushed to rectify their visa status. The campaign came as a sigh of relief for them amidst difficult circumstances. But how did they find themselves in such a challenging situation?
Adverse life conditions forced 73-year-old Indian expat Ali to come to Dubai five years ago. “I worked in the UAE from 1992 until a few years ago,” he said, speaking to Khaleej Times at an Amer centre in Mamzar. “But then my second son had an accident that severely burned him. He needed an operation to regain his ability to speak. So, I had to return to UAE to earn money for that operation.”
After his first work visa expired as a cook, he was recruited by another family. “The man kept saying that my visa was getting rejected due to my age and that he was trying to fix it,” Ali said. “After a year, he fired me, and that’s when I realised I was cheated. By then, I had become very sick and developed severe asthma, and there were days I feared I would die.”
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Ali did odd jobs and spent much of his time in the mosque. “The first few days were very difficult,” he recalled. “My health slowed me down and I was unable to work. But God always showed me the way, either through people or circumstances. I was able to survive. Now, I want to go home and see my people.”
He laughed when asked if he could get his son’s operation done. “I barely have Dh10 in my pocket,” he said. “The Amer centre waived off the Dh20 charge for my application. How will I have the money for his operation? But I trust God will show me a way.”
Ali was issued an outpass on Tuesday, and a group of public relations officers (PRO) called the United PRO Association gave him a free ticket home.
Falling ill
For Ugandan housemaid A.S, it was an illness that ruined her plans. She worked with a family in the UAE when she ran into health troubles. “I was a live-out maid for a family in Jumeirah when I developed a nerve problem, which meant I couldn’t lift very heavy objects. I had only been working with them for eight months when it happened. They waited for me to get better, but when things didn’t improve, they wanted to fire me.”
A.S was in no position to return home. “I had borrowed money from people to come here and had not even finished repaying it. How could I go home? I needed to work to repay the money and look after my family.”
She spent the next few months doing part-time housemaid jobs. “It was stressful,” she confessed. “I always felt nervous about being an illegal. Every time a police car would pass by, I would get nervous. I never went to crowded places for fear of being caught. My friends would invite me to parties at night and to the malls, but I would always refuse. It was like living like a shadow.”
Now, she can regularise her status two years after arriving in the country. “I want to find a job, but I am aware it is challenging,” she said. “But I believe in God. I am hoping that I can stay on. If not, I will go home and try to come back.”
Losing passport
Indian expat R.K used to work in a bank when he lost his passport. “Unfortunately, it was also the time when my visa expired,” he said. “I tried applying for the passport, but they needed my residence visa. By then I had an absconding status. I kept shuttling from department to department for help.”
R.K. finds it hard to believe that he is an illegal resident. “During my work, I had very good knowledge of government procedures and regularly used ICP and GDRFA websites. I knew people who could help but in my specific circumstance, no one was able to help. It has been six months now, and I am so happy about this amnesty.”
He now has a job offer from another bank for a similar role he held previously. “However, to get a job in a bank, I need my visa to be sorted. I am still unsure where to go and what to do. I visited an Amer centre, and they were unable to help me. I am not sure whether to go to the GDRFA tent or the Indian Consulate next.”
Bank case
For Filipino couple L.M. and K.M., it was a bounced cheque and missed credit card payments that made them illegals. Running an events company in the UAE, the couple did well until an employee embezzled money and ran away.
“Years of hard work was down the drain,” said L.M. “Apart from the financial ramifications, the incident had an emotional impact on us. We were heartbroken, and it took us several months to recover from it. By then, contractors and banks had started calling us. We had maxed out our credit cards, and no money came from anywhere because contractors refused to work with us until we settled their dues.”
Eventually, when one contractor deposited a cheque, the couple had a bounced cheque case in addition to non-payment of credit card bills. “Now we are both trying to find jobs during the amnesty so that we can finish off our debts,” said L.M. “Hopefully, we can find something.”