Authorities in Abu Dhabi continue to receive applications from overstaying residents trying to correct their status in the city.
The Al Shahama Center of the General Directorate of Residency and Foreign Affairs said they have received applications from Asian expatriates, such as Filipinos, to rectify their status as part of the city’s “Protect Yourself by Rectifying Your Status” initiative, The Gulf Today reported.
An Asian woman said her nine-month-old daughter has been staying illegally in the United Arab Emirates since she was born and had no supporting documents.
The woman said she had been sponsored for a visa by her husband, but was abandoned when she fell pregnant. Her visa expired while she was still pregnant and she was forced to work illegally as a domestic worker.
She and her daughter will return to their home country once they have their departure permit through the amnesty program. She said she was considering returning to the UAE, but legally.
The United Arab Emirates’ amnesty program started on August 1 and will last for three months. Overstaying residents can use the amnesty and can choose to either get a visa and look for employment or be repatriated to their home countries.
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