ICA announces extending the time limit of “Protect Yourself by Modifying Your Status” Initiative till the end of December.

Under the guidance of the UAE’s wise leadership and in the course of the national celebrations of the 47^th National Day, ICA announced extending the time limit of the “Protect Yourself by Modifying Your Status” Initiative for another month ending on December 31^st, 2018 with a view to providing a new opportunity for each violator, who failed to avail himself of the initiative during the past period so that he could modify his status either by opting to leave the State voluntarily or obtaining a lawful residency visa in accordance with the Law governing the Entry and Residency of foreigners, while the violator will be exempted from all fines and other legal consequences resulting from the violation.

ICA affirmed that it will continue from tomorrow morning (Tuesday) to receive those wishing to avail themselves of the initiative through its nine centers all over the UAE to settle their status with much ease.

ICA launched the initiative since the past 01^st August, and it lasted for three months, during which ICA offered unprecedented advantages and exemptions with a view to encouraging all those residing illegally in the UAE and helping them to settle their status in line with the applicable laws so that they could lead a natural life and benefit from the quality services provided by the UAE to its citizens and residents in various fields of health and education, and to achieve the target ” UAE Without Violators”. After that, ICA extended the time limit of this initiative for thirty days ended on the last 30^th November, but the UAE’s supreme leadership ordered, in a humanitarian gesture, to extend the initiative time limit once again until the end of this year, which provides a valuable opportunity for those violators to start a new life away from the fears of prosecution and exempt them from any financial fines.

H.E. Brigadier Saeed Rakan Al Rashidi, acting Director-General of the Foreigners Affairs and Ports at ICA, said that the extension decision affirms the good deeds and humanitarian aspects, which the citizens and residents are used to experiencing from the UAE’s wise leadership, which takes the human and their dignity as a first priority, so the wise leadership sought to make its people happy by overcoming any errors or obstacles, and allowing every violator to modify his status, so the UAE’s leadership has devoted all possibilities to provide a decent life for everyone living within the good land of Zayed, thus it continued the progress towards benevolence and gave hope to every aspiring to the good living in the UAE’s land of happiness.

Al Rashidi added that this generous gesture from the UAE’s wise leadership enhances the atmosphere of security and safety and constitutes fundamental support of its stability by providing a new opportunity for each violator to modify his status and start a new life based on the care for the benefit of the whole society and cooperating with other members of society to contribute to the progress towards achievements and lead a decent life on its land.

He pointed out that ICA had, before the expiry of the first extension, received many appeals from those who failed to avail themselves of the initiative due to their difficult circumstances, having pending lawsuits or failure to provide the necessary documents to apply for exemptions, and all of such appeals had been forwarded to the UAE’s leadership, which has directly responded and ordered to extend the initiative time limit and give the opportunity to all those sincerely desiring to modify their status and avoid the consequences resulting for any violation.

Brigadier Al Rashidi said that “Protect Yourself by Modifying Your Status” initiative allows the applicants to stay in the state after modifying their status by registering themselves with the virtual labor market system, which would help them to search for a new job through an e-platform supervised by the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, which in turn would enable them to obtain a temporary 6-month residency visa without having a sponsor so that they could find new sponsors and modify their status or leave the State after the expiry of the temporary visa, the initiative also allows the violator applying voluntarily for modifying his status not to pay any fines and enable him to leave the State with ease and without being listed in the ban list, which in turn let the door open before such violator to come back to the State by a new visa in accordance with the applicable procedures, it also would enable those coming to the UAE by a visitor tourist visa to modify their status in consideration of a nominal fee of AED 500 without being required to leave the State.

Brigadier Al Rashidi urged Emiratis, residents, and investors to comply with the Law of Entry and Residency of foreigners and other laws governing the labor market, and not to host or recruit violators so as not to prejudice the security of the society or breach the public right. He stressed that whosoever lives in the UAE is responsible for maintaining its security and stability, and we must all be grateful to the UAE and its wise leadership for the good life, comfort, and tranquility we enjoy.

Al Rashidi appealed to the job seekers holding residency visas to comply with its requirements, foremost of which not to engage in any business except after transferring the sponsorship to a new sponsor, and do their best to settle their status, obtain an official residency or leave the State in case of failure to join any job before the expiry of the temporary visa in order to avoid committing more violations and lose the advantages offered by this initiative.

Brigadier Al Rashidi called upon the embassies of the States having violating nationals to complete their procedures and help them in carrying out their transactions so that they could benefit from the initiative, and ensure to invite them to avail themselves of the extension period and explain the objectives and the underlying benefits and urge them to fully cooperate with ICA’s efforts and modify their status, stressing ICA’s care for cooperating with all embassies and providing them with the necessary information to enable them to give a hand to their nationals to the fullest extent possible.

ICA has allocated nine centers all over the State to receive applications from the violators and complete their transactions, namely: Al Shahama Center in Abu Dhabi, Al Aweer Center in Dubai, Reception Centers annexed to the premises of Residency and Foreigners Affairs Departments in Sharjah, Ajman, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah, Umm al Quwain, Al Ain City, Al Dhafra in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, which opens from 08:00 a.m. to 08:00 p.m. from Sunday to Thursday, along with a call center to answer the beneficiaries’ queries 24//7 via (80080).