UAE offers reprieve for foreign workers with six-month visa ban

UAE offers reprieve for foreign workers with six-month visa ban

Mtoday news

Dubai, Dec 28: Foreign workers in the United Arab Emirates, including Indians, will now be able to switch jobs after two years without facing a six-month ban for leaving their work, a senior official from the country’s Labour Ministry has said.

Acting Director-General at the Ministry, Humaid Bin Deemas, said that those workers who have recently received bans would be issued new work permits from January.

"Following the implementation of the new rules by the Ministry of Labour, expatriate workers who have completed two years with their employers can change jobs without serving the ban," Gulf News quoted Deemas, as saying.

He further said that sponsors cannot force employees to continue to work for them if the workers do not wish to do so.

"If workers have quit before the completion of two years then they will not be issued labour cards until the two-year period is over," Deemas said. 

 

Benefits of the new rule

The move to reduce the validity of the labour card to two years has come following a thorough study and analysis based on successful labour practices in other countries. “If you look elsewhere, like for example the Gulf countries, you will see that labour cards are usually issued with a validity of a year or two years maximum. The contractual relationship resulting from such a relatively short period has proved to pay off for both parties’ interests,” Humaid said.

The Labour Ministry’s senior official said it is a good and acceptable idea which enhances and regulates the movement and flexibility within the labour market. “In a recent survey we did, we found that about 70 per cent of employers have to cancel labour cards and cut short the employment of workers, who were originally hired for three years. The cancellation would come before a solid two-year period has passed. According to our statistics, employers would save more than Dh600 million annually.”

This would be rewarding to workers too as the new decision will help them feel more free and flexible to change their work if they are not satisfied. They won’t have to wait for three years before moving on to a new job.