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Some of them are domestic workers who have fled their employers due to unfavourable working conditions, while others are trafficked into the country
More than 1,500 Ugandans who illegally stayed in the UAE after their visas expired have been exempted as part of a government initiative to help some African nationals return home without paying overstay fines, according to the Ugandan envoy to the UAE.
Almost all of the Ugandans who surrendered have returned home after the UAE government provided them with air tickets.
and Cali eraZaake W Kibedi, Uganda’s ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, said the overstay exemption scheme, which began in August this year, has been granted to some African countries whose visas have overstayed or are staying illegally.
Most Ugandans seeking probation came to the UAE on visitor visas to find work, but their visas expired before they could find work. Others, especially domestic workers, have fled their employers due to unfavourable working conditions, while some have been trafficked into the country, the ambassador said.
Of the 1,500 Ugandans who applied for the overstay exemption, 350 were men and the rest were women.
“All these Ugandans have been exempted from overstay fines by the UAE government and they are allowed to go home without any problems,” the ambassador said.
“The Ugandan embassy in Abu Dhabi, in coordination with their government, has so far processed emergency travel documents for 1,220 Ugandans free of charge. Only 280 of those who applied for overstay exemptions had their original passports with them.”
Many Ugandans, especially runaway maids, have left their passports with their employers, and efforts to get them back are futile.
According to Kibedi, the UAE authorities have coordinated with the embassies of several African countries, including Uganda, Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, to help these illegal migrants stranded in the UAE ensure they return to their home countries.
“Ugandan nationals are the majority of those Africans seeking waivers for overstay fines,” he said.
“We thank the UAE government for helping our people by waiving overstay fines and providing them with tickets to return home.”
Kikomeko Ismail Semambo, a Ugandan volunteer who has been coordinating with authorities to help Ugandans apparently held at the Al Awir deportation centre in Dubai awaiting deportation papers, said the UAE government has been providing these people with food and all basic needs.
“So far, all Ugandans seeking overstay exemptions have been repatriated. The last group, about 160 Ugandans, flew to Uganda on Dubai and Air Arabia, with tickets provided by the UAE government,” he said.
Semambo said the initiative has been very helpful to Ugandans, many of whom live in parks in Dubai as they cannot afford accommodation due to lack of jobs.
According to Ambassador Kibedi, the number of Ugandans living and working in the UAE has increased from less than 1,000 in 2009 to around 100,000 today.
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