has your maid absconded? (part 2)

In my earlier post, I didn’t explain how we cancelled Juliet’s visa and reported her as absconding at the Immigration Department. I hope none of you have to go through what we did, but just in case you do and you don’t know how to go about it, here’s what we did:

Visa Cancellation
At one of the typing centres at DNRD (the one located along Trade Centre Road), I informed one of the typists that we wanted to cancel our maid’s visa. He asked me to give him the following:
     • Maid’s original passport
     • My husband’s passport and visa copy (because he’s the sponsor)
     • Dhs100
After a few minutes, the man gave me the documents with the typed form, Hubby signed the indicated space at the bottom, and we headed to Hall 2 of the Immigration building. Hubby showed the papers to the man at the counter, who then gave him a number token, and waited. Once his number flashed on the screen, Hubby went to the designated counter and gave all the documents to the officer. The officer looked through the papers, scanned the barcode of the typed form, stamped CANCELLED on Juliet’s visa, and gave the original passport and 2 printed Cancellation papers to Hubby. That’s it.

Absconding Report
At the same typing centre at DNRD, I told the typist that our maid ran away and that we had cancelled her visa the day before. He asked me where we lived, when she ran away, and what was the sponsor’s (Hubby) mobile number. Then I gave him the following:
     • Maid’s original passport
     • My husband’s passport and visa copy
     • One of the printed Cancellation papers that the Immigration officer gave us last night
     • Dhs22
After giving me the typed form, the typist told me to proceed to Hall 15 (the building opposite the Commercial Bank of Dubai). Upon entering, we went to the Customer Service desk. The officer told Hubby to sign on the form, scribbled on the paper, and told us to pay Dhs360 at the counter just opposite his desk. The payment was for Deportation Fees (Dhs230) and Absconding Application Fees (Dhs130). Having done the payment and getting the sticker receipts, we went back to the Customer Service desk where the officer took the receipts and stuck them on the form, took Juliet’s original passport, and gave us a printed paper with some information that said Absconding at the top. We were then told that if she returns or if we see her again, we are to immediately take her to the nearest Police Station for them to handle. As for the Dhs2,000 security deposit that we had paid when we applied for her Employment Visa, we’ll only be able to get that back if and when she leaves the country.

Some of you are probably wondering if Juliet returned or if we’ve received any news as to where she is now. Well, she hasn’t gone back to the apartment. But from what I’ve heard, she went to POLO-OWWA yesterday and that’s where she is now. If she’s there, the UAE government cannot do anything because those who seek refuge at the Philippine Consulate and the POLO-OWWA are protected by the Philippine government and its laws.

Oh well. It’s her life and she’s old enough to know the consequences of what her actions would be. Good luck to her, wherever she is now.