Seven emirates make up the United Arab Emirates, and Dubai is one of them. You do not need a separate visa for each emirate unless you fall under certain criteria directly tied to the Work visa. People sometimes call the Dubai visa a United Arab Emirates (UAE) visa. However, this article discusses things you should know about the Dubai work visa.
In Dubai, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation issues work licenses. However, your employer must apply for this permission, who will then convert it into a legitimate residency visa. The work permits you to enter the UAE and work once you have received your residency visa. This license is only good for two months. Your employer will be responsible for arranging legalities such as medical testing, Emirates ID, Labor Card, and residency visa at this time.
Below is the list of things you need to know about the Dubai work visa.
1. Employers can’t keep your passport
Without your written consent, your employer doesn’t have the right to keep your passport, be it for safekeeping or whatever reason. Furthermore, an employer cannot fire an employee for refusing to hand over their passport.
2. Payment is regular
The employer makes payments at the worksite and on working days, making them in the state’s national currency. However, it is not right for employers to coerce their employees to buy their products. Also, employees don’t need to purchase food or other items from the business owner’s merchandise.
3. Maternity leave is a right
A female worker is entitled to maternity leave and full payment for an extended period of 45 days, which also includes the period preceding and following her confinement, on the condition that she has worked for the employer for a period of not less than one year, according to Federal Law No. 8, Article No. 30 of the UAE Labour Law. If she has worked for less than a year, she will be eligible for maternity leave, but only at half pay.
4. You have the right to an annual leave
Every year of service in the UAE entitles you to an annual leave of at least the following length as a worker. Two days monthly if the service time is 6 months or less than a year, or one month annually if the service period is more than a year. Should the worker’s employment be terminated, they will be entitled to a quarter of their yearly leave.
5. The cost of a residency visa is on the employer
Employers should cover visa charges under UAE law. An employee doesn’t have to reimburse employers for visa expenditures at any time. Visa sponsorship and costs are solely the employer’s responsibility, regardless of why and how you terminated the contract; you don’t have to pay for this. Employers who request installment-based deductions for visa costs are breaking the law and are subject to legal penalties.
6. You can only work for 8 to 9 hours daily
The maximum number of usual working hours each day is 8, or 48 hours per week. Employees in hotels, trades, cafeterias, security, and other jobs whose addition may be the decision of a Minister of Labour decision may have their working hours increased to 9 hours per day.
Furthermore, by the determination of the Minister of Labour and Social Affairs, they may reduce working hours for difficult and hazardous jobs. However, they will decrease the regular working hour by two hours during Ramadan. The time spent commuting by workers from their home to the workplace is not counted as working time.
Who Can Apply?
You can apply for a Dubai work visa if:
- While you are still in your home country, you have been hired.
- You are currently employed in Dubai and wish to change employers.
- When you are in Dubai on a visit visa or a tourist visa, an employment chance arises.
- To begin, the Ministry of Health and Human Rights and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation have established centers outside of the country to help with this process.
- In the second case, you can get your Dubai work permit after you leave the UAE. You don’t have to fly back to your own country. Airlines such as Air Arabia and FlyDubai provide a ‘visa run’ service, allowing you to stop over in a neighboring country while waiting for a work permit in Dubai. The recruiting employer can also use Dubai’s General Directorate of Residency and Foreign Affairs’ ‘Change Status’ method. In this case, you will not be required to leave the country to receive a work permit in Dubai.
- In the third case, you will also receive a new work permit to work for a new company. According to Article 1 of Ministerial Decree No. 766 of 2015, an employee whose contract was terminated due to contract expiration is entitled to a new work permit in Dubai if they can find a new job.