Abu Dhabi: The Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs, and Ports Security (ICP) has called on individuals violating residency laws in the UAE to expedite the process of regularising their status before the deadline for status correction, which falls on Tuesday, December 31, 2024.
The Authority had already extended the initial two-month grace period (originally set from September 1 to October 31) by an additional two months. It emphasised that this extension represents the final opportunity for violators to adjust their status.
Once the extension ends, fines for violations will be reinstated from January 1, 2025, and the Authority will intensify inspection campaigns in coordination with government partners to take legal action against violators wherever they are found.
The Authority clarified that the extension of the grace period provides violators a final chance to settle their status without incurring fines or facing re-entry bans.
Recently, the ICP had It revealed that 88% of violators who applied to regularise their status in the first week opted to stay and work in the UAE, while 12% chose to leave.
Amnesty categories
- Visa violators: Individuals who overstay their visa after the expiry of their permitted stay in the UAE.
- Residency violators: Individuals whose residency permits fall under the “unlawful residency” category after their permits have expired, including the grace period granted to them.
- Individuals reported for administrative violations or absconding: Workers who leave their employers without notifying them and without any legal justification for doing so.
- Foreign-born newborns in the UAE: Infants born in the UAE whose parents or guardians fail to regularise their residency status within four months of birth.
The Authority has repeatedly urged residency violators to take advantage of the grace period to amend their status by submitting applications through its electronic and smart platforms or authorised typing centres. Visits to the ICP service centres are only required when specifically instructed for biometric fingerprinting.
The authority emphasised that starting Wednesday, January 1, 2025, laws and fines will be strictly enforced on all violators who fail to resolve their status during the four-month grace period and did not take advantage of the exemption. Intensive inspection campaigns will also be launched to apprehend those violating residency and visa laws.
The authority confirmed that the grace period has ended, with no further extensions for status correction.
It announced that, in collaboration with police departments and the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE), inspection campaigns and enforcement measures against violators will commence on January 1, 2025. These campaigns will target violators who failed to rectify their status during the grace period, and fines will be reinstated.
A senior official from the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai (GDRFA Dubai) stated that thousands of residency law violators benefited from the grace period, either by safely leaving the country without a ban stamp or by obtaining work contracts and new residencies, allowing them to live and work legally in the UAE.
During the grace period, many violators benefited from job opportunities provided by private companies, allowing them to adjust their status, join new employers, and start fresh lives without violations or fines.
Types of services for applicants
- Issuing, renewing, and cancelling work permits.
- Linking absconding complaints for violators to the rectification grace period, which applies to individuals with expired work permits or residency visas.
- Rectifying and regularising the status of violators with absconding complaints filed against them, whether under establishments or domestic worker categories.
During the four-month grace period, the ministry exempted violating establishments from administrative fines related to failing to provide employment contracts to the ministry or renew work permits.
Applications for resolving violations were received through the ministry’s website, mohre.gov.ae, its smart app available on the Apple Store and Google Play, business service centres, and domestic worker recruitment offices.
