“ICA” calls the violators to take advantage of the last month of the grace period of “Protect yourself by Changing your Status” Initiative

Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship (ICA) calls all violators of Foreigners Entry and Residency Law in UAE to take advantage of the last month of the grace period given by the State through “Protect yourself by Changing your Status” initiative that ends in the next October 31^st, and to immediately get benefit from the initiative without delay or suspension by visiting one of the nine Centers assigned by ICA to change their status and benefit from the advantages and opportunities provided by the initiative.

HE Brigadier Al Rashidi, Acting Director General of Foreign Affairs and Ports in ICA, affirmed that the current period is considered a golden chance for those wishing to benefit from the initiative and leave the state back to their homes due to the easiness of the procedures of completing their transactions and issuing them leave permits, and providing all the logistic and human resources by ICA to service them, besides providing bookings and facilitating ensuring flight tickets with suitable prices, in addition to the offers provided by airlines which enables everyone who wants to buy the ticket towards its destination with prices suitable for all community classes.

This came during the tour of inspection of HE Brigadier Al Rashidi to the beneficiaries service center of “Protect Yourself by Changing your Status” initiative in the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs at Al Ain City; where Al Rashidi checked the procedures of providing services for visitors and the mechanisms of issuing the permits of changing the status and leave permits, HE also inspected the operation progress at the Center and met several visitors and listened to their views and observations towards the services provided by the Center.

Al Rashidi confirmed that the legal procedures to be applied by ICA after the expiration of the grace period will include prosecuting and accountability of those who fail to attend and benefit from the initiative within the defined grace period who will be subjected to the penalties stipulated by Law including fines charged for the whole violating period, besides imprisonment and deportation.

Brigadier Al Rashidi has met work teams in the Center and sent them the regards of ICA Chairman and his gratitude for the significant efforts endeavored by all the employees in view of the initiative to facilitate the procedures and accelerate completion of transactions, as well as ease all the impediments that might face those who wish to change their status.

Al Rashidi praises the level of preparations and readiness in Al Ain Center to receive any number of visitors from different groups and issuing leave permits for those who desire to return back to their countries with ease and enabling them to complete the procedures quickly.

Brigadier Al Rashidi listened to an explanation about the procedures followed by the Center and numbers of the applicants to benefit from the initiative, where the total number of persons who obtained “6-months job-seeker visa” in Al Ain Center since the initiative launching until this 6^th September is 4733 from different nationalities, whereby they can reside in the State for 6 months without the need for a sponsor and apply to find a job through the virtual labor market system, conditional upon changing their status and transfer their sponsorship within such period otherwise leave the State after its expiration.

Brigadier Al Rashidi calls all sponsors, residents, and all the public not to show sympathy to violators, cover them or to be affected by their attempts to gain sympathy, and be keen to advise them to benefit from the initiative without delay. Al Rashidi warned that hiding a violator will result in charging the person with penalties stipulated by Law, and urged the visitors whose visas have expired and those who escaped from their sponsors and other violators not to wait until the lase moment of the grace period and to take the initiative immediately to apply and take advantage of the available opportunity to be able to complete all the procedures in time.

HE Brigadier Al Rashidi has been accompanied, during the visit, by Brigadier Muhammad bin Wadeema Al amery, Director of the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs, in Al Ain along with number of senior officials at the General Directorate for Foreigners and ports in ICA.