UAE : Visa violators take advantage of amnesty

The UAE is to grant a two-month amnesty for visa violators to leave, according to a senior government official, and the amnesty has been approved by the Cabinet. "This is a step which should be welcomed by all those who, for one reason or another, have found themselves living in the UAE without proper authorisation. But let's be clear, this amnesty does not apply to infiltrators those who knowingly sneak into the UAE and take advantage of economic and social opportunities without authorisation", opined English language local daily, Gulf News, in its editorial Thursday. It added, the amnesty will apply to those who have lived here with proper visas but whose papers are outdated. "The amnesty will allow violators to leave without penalty, with the fines and exit fees being waived by officials," the paper said. It noted that this is a welcome step only those who are authorised and catalogued to live here should "be residing within our borders." The paper underlined that it's important to remember that visa violators are also placed in a compromising position, often being required to labour without decent living standards and proper terms and conditions. Sadly, there are those who take advantage of such violators. It remarked that infiltrators remain a security risk and need to be rooted out with the full force of the law and through the continued concerted effort of government departments and law enforcement officials. The paper concluded, "This amnesty provides a perfect opportunity to make good on bad situations. Those who ignore the amnesty, however, must live with the consequences of their inaction."