News Dubai

Work with no strings attached
By Bassma Al Jandaly, Staff Reporter

Dubai: The labour and residency laws in the UAE allow expatriates who wish to come to work here only for short periods of time, to obtain a specific kind of visa without the need to obtain a residency visa or a job contract.

Originally, the rules for working in the UAE is that any expatriate should obtain a work permit and a residency visa in order to work here, but the Ministry of Labour and the Residency Department allows people to come to work here for a short time without the need for labour permit or residency visa, under the Mission Entry visa.

Expatriates can make use of this visa which allow certain professionals such as consultants, doctors, auditors and some other professions to work in the UAE for up to six months without a job contract.

That visa is valid for three months and can be renewed for another three months.

The mission entry visa is issued to those who come for temporary jobs, but they should obtain a permission from the Ministry of Labour. This visa will cost Dh600 for three months and if one wishes to renew it for additional three months, you must pay another Dh1,200, but after a permission by the labour ministry is granted.

The Ministry of Labour and the Naturalisation and Residency Department issues temporary work permits for those who are already resident in the country and need to change their jobs temporarily.

Any expatriate in any profession who is already working here is allowed by the Labour Ministry and Residency Department to obtain temporary work permits. These expatriates do not have to be in any specific professions or have rare specialisations.

That means if you work for a company your sponsor can let you work through this temporary job permit for unlimited number of times. But each time the temporary job shift should be to a different employer and not with the one you worked before.

If you are an owner of a company and you have a number of workers under your sponsorship but you do not need some of your workers, the law allows all types of your workers to obtain temporary job permit from the Ministry of Labour. If some of your workers are temporarily not required under your sponsorship, then they can work for other sponsors over a period of six months.

There is also what is called mission entry visa for 14 days. The above professionals as well as businessmen; company managers, representatives and sales managers; auditors and representatives of companies who visit the country for business, can obtain the Mission Entry Visas for 14 days.

This visa allows the holder to enter the country once during its validity and to stay for a maximum of 14 days. The 14-day Mission Visa is not renewable and the application for it must be submitted by an authority or company operating in the country at least 48 hours before the arrival of the visitor.

Checklist: Keep your passports

The cost for the Mission Entry visa must be paid by the sponsor who is bringing the person into the country.
Workers should keep their passports with them. In all categories qualified for the visa, visitors may bring their wives and children.
The issuance of Mission Entry visas is restricted to establishments operating in the oil industry and any other establishment or sector.
If the sponsor does not pay the worker salary he can complain at the Ministry of Labour or any of the labour departments at the emirate where he is working.
After the three-month period of the mission visa, if the worker do not wish to renew it for an additional three months, the sponsor cannot force him to do so.
If the worker of a company is posted temporarily to a new job, the original employer will be responsible for his medical insurance, accommodation, end-of-service and other benefits under the labour law. The new employer will take care of charges for the permit and salary.