The United Arab Emirates has extended the amnesty period for undocumented foreign workers for another three months, according to Bangladesh Embassy in Abu Dhabi.
The duration of the grace period will be August 18 to November 17 this year, the embassy shared the information on its Facebook page on Tuesday.
The workers whose visas were expired or became irregular before March 01 will to go their home country without any fine, it said.
However, the Emirates News Agency WAM quoted the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship (ICA) as saying late on Sunday that the United Arab Emirates has extended the grace period for residency violators for another three months, including fine exemptions, reported the Saudi Gazette on Monday.
"The grace period extension runs from August 18 to November 17 and includes all violators with visas expired before March 01," a statement from Major General Saeed Rakan Al-Rashidi, director general of Foreigners Affairs and Ports at ICA, said according to WAM.
Al-Rashidi pointed out that this "generous initiative" will cover all violators of the entry and residency law, taking into consideration the exceptional circumstances caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
He said that all violators will not be banned from entering the UAE provided they leave the country.
Visa holders wishing to leave the UAE from Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, and Ras Al-Khaimah airports must arrive six hours before the flight, while those leaving through Dubai airports must visit the Civil Aviation Security Police Centre or the Deportation Centre near Terminal 2, 48 hours before the flight departure, it said.
On June 08, the UAE had announced that residency law violators would be permitted to leave the country with all related fines waived. However, some 2.3 million Bangladeshi workers went to the UAE with jobs since 1976, according to Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training.
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