ABU DHABI 27 September 2018: Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship (ICA), has called on those in the UAE in violation of visa entry and residency laws, to take advantage of the final month of the “Protect Yourself by Modifying your Status” initiative, which will end on 31st October.
They can visit one of the nine ICA centres to modify their status and benefit from the advantages and opportunities provided by the initiative, it said.
Brigadier Saeed Rakan Al Rashidi, Acting Director-General of the Foreigners Affairs and Ports Department of the ICA, said that now is the time to benefit from the initiative and leave the country and return to their own countries, due to the facilitated procedures for completing their dealings and issuing their exit permits.
The ICA is providing the required human and logistical resources to offer its services, which include making reservations and securing travel tickets at appropriate prices while airlines are offering sales to those wishing to buy flight tickets at affordable prices, he told Wam.
Prosecution to Begin
Brigadier Al Rashidi stressed that after the grace period specified by the initiative has passed, the ICA will instigate legal procedures and prosecute anyone who has not applied to benefit from the initiative, who will also be liable for penalties under the law, including fines covering the total period of their violation, as well as imprisonment and deportation from the country.