The announcement made by the authorities on Tuesday extending the amnesty to the end of June has not been utilised by illegal workers and the embassies looking after their interests simply because no official statement has been made, according to diplomats in the country.
They said the situation is still vague and they would like to wait until Saturday to see an official announcement regarding the extension.
A number of embassies in Abu Dhabi are still waiting for official circulars to inform them about the amnesty extension.
According to sources in various embassies, there has been no official confirmation of the extension of the amnesty for the illegal residents to leave the country without any punishment. They said they stopped issuing outpasses on June 1, after the one-month extended grace period expired on May 31.
However, they said they would resume issuing outpasses, if the new extension is officially confirmed.
They said the embassies would welcome the step if the amnesty is extended for another month to allow and encourage those illegal residents who have so far failed to avail of the opportunity. There are a number of people who have not been able to complete their paper works, the sources added.
So far more than 80,000 illegal residents have left under the amnesty, while thousands more will be leaving by the middle of this month as their documents are being processed at the immigration departments.
The local authorities have given a two-week grace period to those who have got their exit permits from the immigration authorities to leave.
According to official estimates, more than 30,000 Bangladeshis have benefited from the present amnesty, while the rest are from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Iran, Afghanistan and the Philippines. They include migrants who have sneaked into the UAE illegally and expatriates who have overstayed or violated the labour or visa rules.
The amnesty will be followed by a series of measures to ensure visa and labour discipline in the long-term, including a clean-up operation, stricter penalties against labour and visa offenders, and improved surveillance systems at land and sea borders. High-level talks will also be held with Oman to coordinate anti-infiltration action.
Officials warned that search operations would be launched randomly and involve all the companies and suspected hideouts of illegal migrants. Seized violators would be jailed, fined and then deported while those caught providing jobs or haven to labour law offenders would be either jailed or fined.
In 1996, about 200,000 illegal immigrants and overstayers left the country under the amnesty, which continued for six months. The pardon was declared on August 1 and ended on December 31.
According to earlier embassy estimates, those who took the opportunity to leave in 1996 included 60,000 Indians; 46,000 Pakistanis; 35,000 Bangladeshis; 12,500 Sri Lankans; 6,000 Iranians; 3,200 Afghans and 70 Yemenis.
Meanwhile, the Ras Al Khaimah Naturalisation and Residency Department organised yesterday an inspection campaign on the illegal immigrants where only an Asian national was arrested.
Lieutenant Colonel Jassim bin Issa, the head of the department, said the inspection campaign covered only Dhan area. He said it was only the first one in a chain of campaigns which the department will organise almost on a daily basis.
He said these campaigns will cover all areas of the emirate to arrest all the illegal immigrants who have not used the amnesty.
It was the golden chance for all the violators to leave the UAE without bearing any financial consequences sparing themselves related punishments.
He warned that the illegals who decided not to use the chance would not be able to live in the country for a long time, as the department has been collecting secret information about them. It would not take a long time to arrest all of them.
He added those who are arrested during the inspection campaigns will face tough fines and sentences.
In Dubai, sources said that there was no extension to the amnesty as of yesterday. The source said that a Cabinet decision issued early this year, allowed all the illegals and overstayers in the country to leave without punishment.
He added those who did not make use of this general pardon will be hunted down very soon, fined and jailed.
"This was the last amnesty given to the illegals. We will be very strict from now onwards with all the offenders of the labour laws," he said.
Gulf News
