Grace period to correct visa status extended until March 31

The Ministry of Interior (MOI) has extended the time limit to correct the illegal status of expatriates, who have violated the provisions of Law No. (21) of 2015 regulating the entry, exit and residence of expatriates, until March 31.In a statement, the ministry said that this procedure comes within the framework of its keenness to take into account the interests of company owners and expatriate workers to benefit from the 50% reduction in the amount of reconciliation. Accordingly, every violating expatriate or violating applicant must, during the period specified above, submit a request for reconciliation to the Search and Follow-up Department or to any of the following service centers that receive requests to transfer residence permit from one applicant to another (Umm Salal, Al Rayyan, Mesaimeer, Al Wakra, and Umm Sanim), or any of the following service centers that accept reconciliation applications and the issuance and renewal of the Residence Permit (RP) for the same employer (Al Shamal, Al Khor, Al Daayen, Umm Salal, Al Lulu, Unaizah, Souq Waqif, Al Rayyan, Umm Sanim, Al Sheehaniya, Mesaimeer, Al Wakra, and Dukhan).The ministry called on all categories benefiting from the offer to correct their status, which include expatriates and companies, to visit the aforementioned department or centers, during the extended period from 1- 6pm.MoI urged expatriates to adhere to the specified period, to benefit from the reconciliation and avoid facing legal charges.Early in October last year, the Ministry of Interior (MoI) had announced a grace period for expatriates to correct their legal status in the country and avoid legal procedures for violating provisions of Law No. 21 of 2015 Regulating the Entry and Exit of Expatriates and their Residence. The grace period was from October 10 to December 31, 2021."The Ministry of Interior calls on employers and expatriates to use this grace period for reconciliation to correct their legal status and avoid legal procedures against them for not legitimising their status," a notice issued in October last year had said.The MoI notice was published on social media in various languages - Arabic, English, Urdu, Malayalam, Hindi, Sinhala, Tamil, Tagalog, Bangla and Nepali - for wider awareness and reach.