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ABU DHABI, SEPT 16, 2001 (WAM)--The General Department of Naturalisation and Residency has proposed amendments to some articles of the nationality law that regulates marriage of nationals to foreign women. Brigadier Hadhir bin Khalaf Al Muhairi, director-general of the department of Naturalisation and Residency, told the +Al Khaleej+ paper in an interview that the proposed amendments had been submitted to officials at the Ministry of Interior. The department has suggested that a foreign woman who marries a national be given UAE national status after 10-15 years instead of the three years as at present to ascertain the seriousness of the marriage and its stability It has also proposed that a child be given nationality status when he/she is one -year-old instead of 15 years. A nationality identity card would facilitate his travel among GCC countries, it said. Al Muhairy said the practice of nationals marrying foreign women had been exploited by many to get Emirati nationality. He added the department had proposed stringent punishment for those trading in visas.Presently punishment was restricted o a fine of Dh10,000. Al Muhairi said his department had nabbed 25,820 immigrants. Among them 17,590 people were caught without resident visas in various inspection campaigns in the first half of the year. He also warned those who harboured the illegal immigrants. He called for a grace period to enable them to leave the country without punishment, indicating an amnesty move, similar to the one taken in 1996, would reduce by 50 per cent violators of the residency law, according to the report. WAM-VV |
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(c) Copyright 2001 Emirates News Agency
(WAM) |