UAE visa amnesty gives a Sri Lankan boy hope to finally go to school

Satheeshma’s dreams of going to school in the UAE didn’t find a fruitful result after his father, Pradeep, lost his job and couldn’t legalise his stay in the country. The 10-year-old had arrived in the UAE a couple of years ago on a visit visa, accompanying his father.

Pradeep had a job at a social media marketing firm in Dubai. But things started going south as his father’s sponsor seized his passport over financial problems and filed an absconding case against him, according to an exclusive report in The National.

Speaking to the agency, Satheeshma revealed his desire to go to a school in the UAE. For the last couple of years, he had been learning his lessons at home. But the recently launched 2-month-long UAE visa amnesty has given the 10-year-old and his father a ray of hope.

Visa overstayers can do this if their passports are seized

Satheeshma and his father are seeking to go home. But their plans hit a roadblock as authorities informed them that Pradeep needed his passport to secure an exit pass. The officers then tracked his passport to the Sri Lankan consulate in Dubai.

Visa overstayers are advised to check if their passports seized by their sponsors have been sent to their country’s consulate or embassy. If not, they are required to file a complaint at the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation.

If the sponsor refuses to give back the passport, the visa overstayers can file a civil case. If this doesn’t bear fruits, they can also file a missing passport report at the police station and secure and emergency passport from their consulate.