For Indian expat M.K., the past three years have been a relentless series of nightmares. Initially, she lost her job, followed by her husband's redundancy. Subsequently, they were evicted from their apartment due to unpaid rent. M.K. has been overstaying in the country with her young children for over three years.

"I haven't been able to afford sending them to school, and some days, even feeding them," M.K. told Khaleej Times. "We've been surviving thanks to the kindness of our friends and family." She is hopeful that during the amnesty period, she can either leave the country or regularize her status to secure a better future for her children, aged 11, 9, and 2. However, a travel ban imposed on her is currently preventing her from leaving.

"When we lost our jobs, we couldn't pay the rent," she explained. "We informed the real estate agency about our situation, but they ignored our plea for leniency. They cashed our security cheque the day after the rent was due, causing it to bounce. Since the cheque was in my name, a travel ban was imposed on me. We now owe the rental agency Dh25,000."

What ensued was a series of misfortunes. "Two employees of the rental agency approached us, offering to help secure financial aid from a social organization," she recounted. "They asked for Dh4,000. We didn't even have money for food, let alone that amount. They suggested we borrow from friends, promising that the social organization would pay us Dh30,000, from which we could repay the loan."

The family managed to gather the money by borrowing from various people. However, the men from the rental agency soon stopped answering their calls. "Not only did the promised charity money not materialize, but they also stopped responding to us. We realized we were cheated," she said. M.K. expressed her fear of approaching the authorities.

"People ask why we didn't go to the police, but we were scared," she said. "The real estate employees kept threatening us, saying the building owner and the police were looking for us. We hardly went outside because of the fear. Now, this amnesty is our only hope." M.K. dreams of leaving the UAE and returning on a work visa.

"I want to be able to work here and send my children to school," she said. "I was at the brink of despair when this amnesty was announced. Now, my husband and I have hope that we can rectify our status and begin rebuilding our lives."