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Companies told to release passports

Dubai: In the wake of reports that employers in United Arab Emirates (UAE) are withholding the passports of amnesty-seekers, the authorities have warned the companies to release their passports failing which they will face stringent fines and sanctions.

Many Indians living illegally but who want to leave the UAE under a current amnesty are unable to do so since their passports are with their sponsors; so, they have to take emergency certificates if they have to leave the country.

Humeid bin Demas, assistant under-secretary in the Ministry of Labour (MoL), warned recently that any company refusing to hand over passports to its workers who wished to avail themselves of the amnesty would face stringent fines and sanctions. Meanwhile, Indian Consulate officials said they had received a number of complaints from workers that their sponsors were demanding money from them in lieu of returning their passports.

“The Consulate would like to reiterate that all Indian passports are the property of the Government of India and should be under the custody of the holder or under the custody of the agencies of the Indian Government.

The Consulate would like to appeal to all employers holding Indian passports to return the same to their employees or to the Consulate immediately,” a Consulate statement said. — PTI

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