The recently announced two-month grace period brings hope to these stranded workers, who have been living in anxiety as they take up odd jobs without a valid visa
Amjad Hossen, 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”
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,” Amjadsaid. “I am grateful to the UAE Government for this opportunity. It gives me and many others a second chance.”
Siti Rohana, 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”
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 Rohana.
“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.
Samad Helae from Nigeria 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 Samad. Now his daughter is five years old and she has never seen her father in person.
“Since then, I never got the chance to have a regular job nor fly back home, now I’m very happy. Soon I will be able to see my daughter and play with her”
With a huge overstay fine in his name, Samad has been stuck in the UAE for nearly three years without a valid residency.
Samad 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,” Samad admitted. In September 2022, he finally managed to secure a job —but his overstay fines were too high for him to pay.
The UAE’s recent announcement about a two-month grace period gave Samad 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.
[Publishers Note: The names of individuals who are quoted in this story have been changed due to their illegal residency status.]
Source: Khaleej Times
