The Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship, Customs and Ports Security confirmed the high level of interaction and demand from violating residents to regularize their status during the first week of the initiative to correct the status of violators of the Residency and Foreigners Affairs Law, which was launched on September 1 and will continue for two months.
His Excellency Major General Suhail Saeed Al Khaili, Director General of the Authority, said that 88% of violators who submitted requests to amend their status during the first week of the grace period continued to stay and work in the country, while the percentage of violators who submitted requests to amend their status by leaving the country was 12%, in an indicator that confirms the attractiveness of the UAE as a destination for living and working, in addition to the importance of the initiative in helping beneficiaries change their path and amend their status while remaining in the country.
He announced that the Authority’s plan during the second week of the initiative includes the continued field presence of the Authority’s leaders and partners in service centers across the country to ensure that work proceeds within the targeted and planned framework, meet the necessary needs to implement the deadline requirements, and confront and resolve any urgent challenges through direct communication with the relevant parties from the partners, which leads to the happiness of violators and the achievement of the desired goals.
He added that the level of interest of violators during the first week of the initiative to settle their status, either by leaving or finding a new job opportunity and staying in the country, reflects the extent of their respect for the law and their keenness to leave safely or live a decent life in the country. It also indicates the success of the initiative in achieving its goals during the first week of its launch.
He said that the first week of the grace period witnessed amazing success stories of violators who were able to correct their status and obtain the opportunity to leave safely or secure a new job opportunity and remain in the country, and then reunite with their families and meet them after an absence of many years, in addition to stability, work and living within a framework of respect for the law, which confirms the importance of the humanitarian, social and legal aspects of this important initiative.
Major General Suhail Al Khaili explained that the concerned work teams in the Authority and with strategic partners from government and private entities played a sincere and constructive national role during the first week of the grace period in order to provide all services according to easy and flexible procedures and answer all questions raised by violators wishing to settle their status, in addition to devising creative solutions to confront urgent challenges, praising in this regard the role of the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, accredited printing offices and private sector companies that provided job opportunities to help violators settle their status.
The Major General, Director General of the Authority, urged companies and private sector institutions to provide support to violators in order to enable them to settle their situations by providing them with job opportunities, similar to the companies that took the initiative during the first week of the initiative.
For his part, Major General Sultan Yousef Al Nuaimi, Director General of Residency and Foreigners Affairs at the Authority, stressed that the most prominent advantages of the grace period for correcting the status of violators are that it allows violators who wish to settle their status to leave the country without any administrative restrictions that prevent them from returning to the country, working and living within the framework of the law and without obtaining an entry ban stamp, in an initiative that reflects the civilized and humane face of the UAE and confirms its keenness to respect human rights.
He pointed out that the Authority monitors all practices and indicators related to the implementation of the grace period for correcting the situation, and that it is aware of some incorrect practices of some printing offices that have been monitored through complaints received by the Authority’s call center, the media, and social media sites, and the Authority will take the necessary measures regarding them to protect violators and ensure respect for the laws and regulations in force.
He said that the Authority’s call center is fully prepared to receive and respond to any inquiries or complaints regarding the grace period from violators, via the number: 600522222, noting that the number of calls received by the Authority’s call center during the first week of the grace period amounted to more than 2,500 calls to inquire about procedures, service centers, requirements for correcting situations, and services provided.
Major General Sultan Yousef Al Nuaimi pointed out that the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship, Customs and Ports Security provides violators with 6 main services during the grace period, which are issuing an exit permit, renewing residency, issuing residency for a foreigner born in the country, issuing a new visa for work or residency, amending the status of a valid visa, and issuing residency for violators of work and residency visas. He explained that violators can apply for these services by accessing the authority’s website and smart application, choosing the required service, following the prescribed steps, and completing the service without paying any fines.
He added, “The Authority has approved 10 centres across the country to register the biometric fingerprint of violators who do not have a fingerprint in advance and who are over 15 years old, with the aim of facilitating violators’ access to the fingerprinting service anywhere in the country according to the authority that issued the previous visa or residence.”
The Director General of Residency and Foreigners Affairs at the Authority explained that the number of working hours in the service centers during the first week of the grace period amounted to 78 hours, at a rate of 13 hours per day over 6 working days, while the service is submitted electronically around the clock, seven days a week, via the Authority’s website and smart application, noting that the employees of the approved centers provide services to violators in 8 languages to ensure ease of dealing with violators, meeting their needs, responding to their inquiries, achieving effective communication with them, and guiding them to the necessary steps clearly and transparently.
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