The United Arab Emirates (UAE) visa amnesty initiative, which allows illegal expats and visitors to rectify their visa status or depart without facing fines, will end on Tuesday, December 31.
Following this, the authorities will impose strict measures against expats who remain illegally in the country without taking advantage of the amnesty period from Wednesday, January 1.
The amnesty period began on September 1 and was initially scheduled to conclude on October 31.
The Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs, and Port Security (ICP), in coordination with Dubai’s General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA), has announced that employers who employ illegal expats will be fined between Dirham 100,000 and Dirham one million after December 31.
The authority plans to intensify inspection campaigns in collaboration with government partners to take legal action against any found violators.
In Dubai, 236,000 violators amend residency status and facilitate departures.
This year marked the fourth amnesty programme launched by the UAE government since 2007.
The last amnesty was six years ago, 90 days from August 1 to October 31, 2018, but was extended until December 31 for more visa violators.
