The General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) in Dubai announced that Amer centres have issued over 25,000 new sponsor visas besides renewal of around 2,900 residencies during the amnesty, which began on October 1.

Also, the Amer centres across Dubai has finished over 32,843 transactions as part of the ongoing 'Protect Yourself by Modifying Your Status' initiative, which ends on October 31,Major General Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri, director-general of GDRFA, said the transactions Amer centres finished so far included those of 7,757 cases of residency violators. Since the amnesty started, Amer centres have cancelled 2,344 visas, renewed 2,916 visas and issued 25,086 new sponsor visas. Al Marri added that the centres also received 165 applications from people of war-torn countries, who were allowed to apply for a one-year residency with an exemption from overstay fines.

"We have equipped these centres with all the required services to ensure easy completion of transactions," said Al Marri. Amer and Tasheel centres allowed jobseekers and overstayers to modify their status without facing legal action or hefty fines. Instead, applicants only paid Dh521 to modify their status.

"As long as they have no absconding records, they can modify their status if they have a new sponsor or job offer," Al Marri said. Jobseekers are allowed to apply for a six-month temporary visa. He noted that the centres also cancelled visas for people who wanted to go home without paying overstaying fines.

There are currently 47 Amer centres across Dubai, of which 21 are in the densely populated areas of Bur Dubai and 26 are in Deira. "This spread allows customers to finish their transactions in the closest centre to them to save their time and effort," said Al Marri.

The one-stop shops handle Emirates ID services, visa-related transactions, entry permits and cancellation of residency visas among the other government services provided by entities like Dubai Courts, Dubai Municipality and Department of Economic Development.

The centres operate from 8am to 8pm from Sunday to Thursday, some of which are open 24 hours a day. Over 718 Emirati employees receive and complete transactions at the centres. Customers can contact the 24-hour Amer call centre for inquiries at 8005111.

Copyright © 2018 Khaleej Times. All Rights Reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).

Disclaimer: The content of this article is syndicated or provided to this website from an external third party provider. We are not responsible for, and do not control, such external websites, entities, applications or media publishers. The body of the text is provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis and has not been edited in any way. Neither we nor our affiliates guarantee the accuracy of or endorse the views or opinions expressed in this article. Read our full disclaimer policy here.