“I know India and I understood those young people (Donald Trump Jr and Ivanka) that you mentioned. They’re very good young people. And I know their relationship to India is very good and so is mine,” said Donald Trump during a media briefing at the White House.

Donald Trump had reached out to the Indian-American community, particularly in the battleground states of Virginia, Pennsylvania and Florida during the 2016 presidential run, and it has fetched him positive results. Donald Trump apparently believes that a similar move this year could make the Indian-American community vote for him in the upcoming election too.

Interestingly, Ivanka was the first member of the Trump family to make a trip to India after Donald Trump was enthroned to power in 2016. In 2017, Ivanka led a high-powered US delegation to the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in India, and during the trip, she several times lauded India and its people for their hospitality.

Kimberley Guilfoyle, Donald Trump Jr’s girlfriend had also wished the citizens of India during the last Independence Day.

“Congratulations to India who is celebrating their 74th Independence Day and to all those Indian-Americans who now call the USA home. The bond between our countries is stronger than it has ever been as we share a deep appreciation for family, peace, and prosperity,” tweeted Kimberly.

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The Federal Authority of Identity and Citizenship in the UAE announced a one month extension of grace period on visit visas that expired after March 1. The extension came on August 10, the day that was the initially set as the deadline for visit visa holders to exit the country. The visitors can use the grace period to regularise their status or exit without incurring overstay fines. The grace period starts from August 11.
But the decision is not applicable for those whose visit visas expired before March 1.

The announcement comes as a major relief for visitors who were scrambling to renew their papers or exit the country before August 11 without incurring penalties. The penalty for overstaying is Dh200 for the first day and Dh100 per day for each day after that.

Several visitors “waited till the last minute” to rectify their status, causing a huge rush at typing centres and travel agencies. One agent said he had at least 3,000 applications in the final days of the deadline, mostly from Indian, Filipino and Pakistani nationals. There is a two-step procedure to rectify visa status — first, apply for a new visa and then change status.

An agent said while one group of people renewed their visas immediately, a second group waited till the last minute to change their visa status and the third could not afford to pay for the renewal or buy tickets to return to their home countries. The third category pinned their hopes on a last-minute grace period, and it has come true.

Those on visit visas were given preference by the Indian government to return on Vande Bharat Mission flights since May, said an agent. As a result, “at least 4,000 to 5,000 passengers” returned home in the past five days, said an official at the Consulate-General of India in Dubai.
In Dubai, the charges being levied for a three-month visa renewal is Dh1,834. The application charge is Dh1,276 and the cost to change status is Dh558.

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The Consulate General of India in Dubai will remain open on weekends and public holidays from August 1, said the new Consul-General Dr Aman Puri. He was heading the Indian mission in Birmingham, the United Kingdom, before taking charge as the Consul-General of Dubai.

“Starting August 1 to December 31, the consulate will remain open from 8am to 10 am on holidays. Unlike an open house, consular services will be made available for those in need of emergency requirements such as passport renewal for emergency travel, and so on,” said Dr Puri.

This in view of the current circumstances on account of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Indian diplomat who officially took charge of the consulate in Dubai on July 19 after the departure of his predecessor Vipul on July 11. Hence, consulate services will be available on all days of the week, including weekends and public holidays. However, he said the decision to keep the consulate open all days of the week is subject to review, depending on the situation.

He said, “We feel that the coming days are going to be tough and people may need our support. However, this is not something new. Our colleagues at posts and missions (Indian) have always come forward in support of distressed Indians. Given our community here in Dubai is large, the needs here are large as well.”

“As a priority, we will continue to support the stranded Indians to Dubai to return home. So far, the consulate has repatriated 170,000 Indians from Dubai and the Northern Emirates,” said Dr. Puri.

Out of the 170,000, as many as 40,000 took the Vande Bharat Mission repatriation flights, while 130,000 used chartered flights arranged by private companies and community groups. “We have the largest numbers from anywhere in the world. However, the pressure has gone down as the immediate needs of people wishing to travel have been addressed,” the diplomat said.

“The flights are continuing to operate. Furthermore, the Government of India has also liberalised travel from different countries into India, and we are hoping to have more progress in the coming days,” he said.

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