(Dubai Today) — People who use maids and cleaners who have no official sponsor run the risk of incurring huge fines, the head of the Dubai Naturalisation and Residency Department warned yesterday. Brigadier Mohammad Ahmad Al-Mur said that these people will face penalties – just like the illegal housemaids. “The problem is that some families recruit housemaids that have run away from their original sponsors. These families often leave them on the old sponsor so they don’t have to pay for another visa,” Al-Mur said.

“These housemaids are cheaper and so more appealing. They know that they can get work quicker, even if it is illegal,” he added. The issue came to light after two families were fined dhs50,000 each by the Dubai Immigration Court for using housemaids they were not sponsoring. One of the two Ethiopian housemaids involved was sentenced to one month in jail and fined dhs10,000 for illegally staying in the country and the second maid was sentenced to two months. They will both be deported after serving their jail terms.

The second housemaid was working for an Arabic family when the owner discovered that somebody had stolen her jewellery. She immediately informed the police. “The owners weren’t to know that the housemaid was a thief, but the family were still fined for accepting the housemaid into their villa without changing the sponsor,” the head of Nationality and Residence Prosecution, Ali bin Khatem said.

“The situation, with no documentation that can link the maid to the house, encouraged the maid to steal, thinking that she would be leaving no evidence behind that could lead to her.”

Bin Khatem claimed that they are pursuing the people involved in such cases. “We are tough with such cases and I ask families not to recruit workers not on their own sponsorship, and also to inform us of anyone who runs away from a sponsor,” he said. The penalty for anyone recruiting a worker not on their sponsorship is dhs50,000. The penalty for illegally working is a maximum of three months in jail and dhs10,000 fine and deportation.

“The families don’t know the backgrounds of these housemaids. What if the housemaid has a criminal record?” Al Mur added.