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19 March 2024

530 illegal Indians apply for amnesty

Published
By VM Sathish

Around 530 illegal Indians have applied for amnesty in the first two weeks in the UAE, Indian Consulate sources said.

Till December 16, most of the people applied for amnesty are from the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh (150), Tamil Nadu (130), Kerala (124), Punjab, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

The UAE’s Ministry of Interior announced two-month amnesty for illegal residents last month. Amnesty began on December 4, 2012, and will end on February 3, 2013.

The amnesty scheme is getting lukewarm response and the Indian associations in the UAE have launched a joint awareness campaign in the community to make of use this opportunity to legalise their status or leave the country.

The number of applicants reaching various centers is gradually picking up and more people are likely to register in the second phase of the scheme, official said.

“It appears that people are waiting and watching the situation to come forward at the last minute. We expect a surge of applicants during the last week of the amnesty scheme,” said an Indian Consulate source.

“The airfare to India has also gone up substantially and amnesty seekers may be waiting for the airfare to come down,” said a community worker. Due to the holiday season, airfares to India have gone up substantially.

The Indian Ambassador MK Lokesh has called a meeting of the Indian Community Welfare (ICWF) to start a marathon awareness campaign to encourage Indian nationals who are illegally living in the UAE to make use of the amnesty scheme and leave the country without paying fines.

“About 100 Indian social workers representing various community organizations attended a special meeting with the Indian embassy and consulate officials to discuss amnesty related issues. It was decided that a major awareness campaign be carried out and specially trained volunteers are made available to help illegally staying Indians to utilize the amnesty scheme.”

There are 77 Indian community associations registered with the ICWC (Indian Community Welfare Committee).