UAE’s New Residency Visa Amnesty: Opportunities and Rules for Expired Visa Holders

The ICP said that during the amnesty “violators can regularize their status or leave the country without incurring fines”

The UAE will introduce their first residency visa amnesty for a period of 6 years. This will let the people with expired documentation to secure their status or leave the country with no fine charged. 

The residency visa amnesty is the first scheme after the COVID-19 pandemic which offers a chance for the people in the country with expired visas to further regularize their status or leave without incurring fines. 

The new government initiative will provide a grace period of two months for the people with lapsed residency visas. With more details expected in the coming weeks, the scheme is overlooked by the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP). 

“The Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security aims to provide violators with a new opportunity to regularize their status in accordance with the law, as a gesture that reflects the values of compassion and tolerance upon which the UAE is built,” ICP stated.

With a confirmation by the authorities the grace period begins from September1 and will run until November 1. Although an old global scheme was due to run for three months but was later extended by several weeks. 

The ICP said that during the amnesty “violators can regularize their status or leave the country without incurring fines”.

The initiative in 2018 resulted in long lines at immigration centers around the Emirates as people sought to clarify their residency status.

The scheme of amnesty is introduced for the people without valid documentation and are hesitant to come forward due to the fear of being fined or jailed. It provides a cancellation of punishment for the people residing in the UAE with any documents. 

This strategy allows the government to take measures to ensure the residents of the UAE are living legally. This is an important aspect to look into amid the growing population in the Emirates. 

It is also an opportunity for many people to emerge from the shadows and seize the opportunity for a new beginning, whether in the UAE or back home.

There are many evolving reasons for people to continue to live in the UAE without necessary documentation. Some may have lost jobs and are financially stuck while others may have split from their spouse. Some may be seeking to evade detection. All of the reasons leave them without a sponsor or financial help. 

A community leader in the UAE praised the amnesty and explained why foreign nationals can end up staying without a residency permit.

“It’s a huge relief for so many. “There are people who came here looking for work and overstayed,” said Ishtiyak Raziq, former president of Sahana, a Sri Lankan humanitarian organization.

The residency visa amnesty comes with rules that the people are expected to follow. The residents that work or live in the UAE need to have a two or three year visa to their passport which has been replaced by the Emirates ID. 

The UAE Cabinet adopted visa modifications in April 2022, including new categories. This includes expanding golden visas and introducing green visas, with numerous new categories focused toward self-employed individuals and business owners. The new restrictions became effective in September of that year.

The financial penalty for tourists or residents who overstay their visas has been set at Dh50 ($13.60) every day, after ICP revisions in October 2022. When a residency visa expires or is cancelled, the holder has six months to depart the country or amend their status by finding work. The amnesty will benefit anyone who stays in the country beyond the current six-month grace period.

Similar amnesties were held in 2007, 2013, and 2018, with thousands of people visiting immigration centers to fix their status. Another project was launched in 2020 to assist individuals stranded in the UAE owing to the coronavirus outbreak.