Visa amnesty seekers in Dubai are being advised not to travel to service centres on Sunday and wait until Monday morning instead.
Officials said that with commemorations of the Prophet Mohammed's birthday on Sunday, September 15, all service centres in the emirate would be closed, according to Wam.
The General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai said business will resume on Monday, September 16, from 8am to 8pm throughout the week, except on Fridays, when centres are closed between noon and 4pm.
These hours apply to the violators’ status correction centre in Al Awir and 86 Amer centres across parts of Dubai.
In Abu Dhabi, Federal Authority For Identity, Citizenship, Customs & Port Security (ICP) centres in Al Dhafra, Sweihan, Al Maqam and Al Shahamah as well as private typing centres that are recognised by the ICP are closed on Sundays.
Thousands of applicants
Nearly 20,000 people applied for amnesty in the first week of operation, according to the GDRFA.
The amnesty, known also as the Towards a Safer Community campaign, will run until the end of October, allowing people with expired residency or tourist visas to change their status or leave the country without being fined, nor will they face a ban on re-entering the UAE.
By Monday September 9, as many as 17,391 visa overstayers had completed their paperwork at one of 86 Amer centres in Dubai or used the digital platform, while 2,393 people processed their applications at Al Awir Centre. The authority added that 98.96 per cent of the cases were completed within the first 48 hours.
Watch: A Closer Look: UAE visa amnesty explained

THE BIO
Favourite car: Koenigsegg Agera RS or Renault Trezor concept car.
Favourite book: I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes or Red Notice by Bill Browder.
Biggest inspiration: My husband Nik. He really got me through a lot with his positivity.
Favourite holiday destination: Being at home in Australia, as I travel all over the world for work. It’s great to just hang out with my husband and family.
The biog
Name: Gul Raziq
From: Charsadda, Pakistan
Family: Wife and six children
Favourite holes at Al Ghazal: 15 and 8
Golf Handicap: 6
Childhood sport: cricket
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Manchester United 2 Burnley 2
Man United: Lingard (53', 90' 1)
Burnley: Barnes (3'), Defour (36')
Man of the Match: Jesse Lingard (Manchester United)
The studios taking part (so far)
- Punch
- Vogue Fitness
- Sweat
- Bodytree Studio
- The Hot House
- The Room
- Inspire Sports (Ladies Only)
- Cryo
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Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
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Engine: 2.9-litre, V6 twin-turbo
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By Ben Okri (Head of Zeus)
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