Yes its a fact . In the UAE each year around the end there is an amnesty scheme where the government allows illegal migrants to contact their respective embassies and get permits to leave the country without any punishment or penalty.

Usually around nov or dec each year visas of all kinds (employment and visit) are halted for few weeks for srilankans, indians, bangladeshi and pakistani nationalities .

Each country has its own way of dealing with expat population.

Thanks rhul for your bit of information .

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JENNY