A 40-year-old woman who had been living in Dubai unlawfully for 24 and odd years has finally became a legal residents through the UAE Amnesty Visa 2018 program. Implemented in some emirates by the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai, this program allows those who wish to bring their violations into conformity to do so without having to pay a penalty.
A Life of Challenges
The calamity that befall this woman started when the man who provided her with a roof over her head, and other basic necessities in life died. Her mother had very little means which means she could not renew the residency any longer. At first, she could not have her passport renewed in the UAE; she was reluctant to travel outside the country to have her passport renewal done, and wondered if she would be allowed to re-enter the country she considers her own.
Years later, the laws of her home country were changed to enable her to renew her passport locally. Having a man of her nationality as her partner later on, she managed to obtain a passport and also waited to get a legal Chance to become a resident.
Having spent many years outside legal frameworks according to Colonel Abdullah Atiq of GDRFA Dubai, amnesty was a sweeping relief for the undocumented.
A Humanitarian Initiative
In the UAE legalizing one’s residency has become easier through the Amnesty program which was recently up to December 31, 2024. The program was conducted in line with the humanitarian cultural values of UAE and in honor of the country’s 53rd National day.
During the discourse of Major General Suhail Saeed Al Khaili, the Director General of ICP insisted on the fact that the aims of initiative are not only correlated with legal demands, but also with the providing of the human affected by such phenomenon with the new opportunity to restore the dignified and stable life.
The woman, who felt secure with her husband, was also thankful for the obvious opportunity to start a new life, thanks to Amnesty. This case also provides the UAE evidence of how humanitarian actions can sometimes conflict with legal processes.
