Egypt Grants ‘Illegal’ Residents 3 Months to Legitimize their Stay

Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly. (Egyptian cabinet)
Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly. (Egyptian cabinet)
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Egypt Grants ‘Illegal’ Residents 3 Months to Legitimize their Stay

Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly. (Egyptian cabinet)
Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly. (Egyptian cabinet)

Egypt has granted “illegal” residents a three-month period to legitimize their stay as per the “conditions and regulations” stated in a cabinet decision.

Among these conditions are the presence of an Egyptian host and the payment of $1,000 fees.

Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly issued a decision stating that foreigners residing in the country illegally must legalize their stay, provided that there is an Egyptian national host, within three months from the date of the decision, in exchange for payment of administrative fees equivalent to $1,000.

This should be in accordance with the rules, procedures, and controls determined by the Ministry of Interior.

The decision stated that foreigners applying to the General Administration of Passports, Immigration and Nationality to obtain the right of residence for tourism or non-tourism, must provide a receipt stating that they have transferred the equivalent of fees in dollars or the equivalent of free currency to the Egyptian pound from one of the banks or authorized exchange companies.

The fees could be for residence, delay penalty, or costs of issuing a residence card.

Egyptian human rights defender Nassem Amin said that this decision covers all foreigners except those registered with the UNHCR or those who obtained a residence permit from the Egyptian government.

He added to Asharq Al-Awsat that this decision wouldn’t impact the refugees and displaced, whether those currently in Egypt or the new arrivals.

Egypt has eased up the residence procedures on its land.

In May, the Interior Ministry decided to grant a five-year renewable residence to foreigners who have one or more real estate in Egypt worth a minimum of $200,000, a three-year renewable residence to those owning $100,000 real estate, as well as a three-year residence for foreigners who have a bank deposit worth $1,000.

Mohamed Mahran, Public International Law Lecturer at Alexandria University, told Asharq Al-Awsat that this decision aims to organize the presence of foreigners in Egypt while taking into consideration the migration and residence-related international laws that seek to facilitate the residence procedures.



Members of UK Jewish Group Say Can't 'Turn Blind Eye' to Gaza War

Children gather near a destroyed makeshift shelter following an Israeli strike in Beit Lahia - AFP
Children gather near a destroyed makeshift shelter following an Israeli strike in Beit Lahia - AFP
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Members of UK Jewish Group Say Can't 'Turn Blind Eye' to Gaza War

Children gather near a destroyed makeshift shelter following an Israeli strike in Beit Lahia - AFP
Children gather near a destroyed makeshift shelter following an Israeli strike in Beit Lahia - AFP

Members of the largest organization representing British Jews have said they can no longer "turn a blind eye" to the war in Gaza, adding "Israel's soul is being ripped out".

In a major break with the Board of Deputies of British Jews' policy of supporting the Israeli leadership, 36 of its members criticized the actions of Benjamin Netanyahu's government in Gaza in an open letter published in the Financial Times.

"The inclination to avert our eyes is strong, as what is happening is unbearable, but our Jewish values compel us to stand up and to speak out," said the letter, signed by around one in eight members of the Board of Deputies, AFP reported.

"We cannot turn a blind eye or remain silent" about the loss of life since a two-month truce collapsed on March 18, as negotiations over the return of Israeli hostages broke down, the letter added.

Of the 251 hostages seized during Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which triggered the war, 58 are still held in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.

"Israel's soul is being ripped out and we, members of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, fear for the future of the Israel we love and have such close ties to," added the letter.

The signatories accused the "most extremist of Israeli governments" of "openly encouraging violence against Palestinians in the West Bank."

"We stand against the war. We acknowledge and mourn the loss of Palestinian life," they added.

A spokesperson for the Board of Deputies told the Guardian that other members would "no doubt put more emphasis on the fundamental responsibility of Hamas for this ghastly situation."

At least 1,691 Palestinians have been killed since the resumption of the Israeli offensive, bringing the death toll in Gaza since the start of the war to 51,065, according to Gaza's Hamas-controlled health ministry.