UAE pledges crackdown as amnesty ends

Strict measures will be taken against illegal residents found in the UAE after the amnesty period ended yesterday.

Labour minister Ali Bin Abdullah Al Kaabi warned companies which hire illegal residents would face tough penalties including prosecution and outright bans, news agency WAM reported.

"The labour-related problems facing the ministry include violation of employment contract terms, failing to renew work permits for workers, absconding, hiring undocumented workers and the fact that some employers not only hire illegal residents but also help them hide from the authorities," Al Kaabi said.

The three month amnesty, which began June 3, was granted to illegal expatriate workers who were given the opportunity to legalise their status or leave the country.

The deadline was later extended to November 3 for those who had taken appropriate legal procedures to leave the country before September 2.

More than 165 workers were flown out of the country Friday on an Air India flight chartered by the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.

The state's minister for energy Mohammed Ali Shabbir told Khaleej Times "This was a special flight arranged only for the last batch of amnesty seekers who couldn't afford to buy their tickets".  The Andhra Pradesh government has given free tickets to 1,135 labourers so far, he added.

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