VISA Hold Policies in the UAE

If you are a foreigner in the UAE and thinking of switching your job from one emirate to another, you must have a valid job offer and visa sponsorship from your new employer. You can also consult on the new role and employment contract with labour and employment lawyers. You can only hold your visa status while switching jobs in the Emirates if you have a family on sponsorship. In simple words, you must understand that the moment you leave your job, your visa will be cancelled by the employer, which is a rule of UAE Labour Law. As per the UAE Labour and Employment laws, the employer will take legal steps to halt your work permit if you are terminated or resigning voluntarily.

Submit the Application: The employer must choose the proper channel to request the cancellation of their employee’s work permit to ensure that they do not take any further responsibility for their ex-employee.

Provide Complete Documentation: All the necessary information must be shared when requesting the cancellation of a work permit. This mainly includes the employment contract, as the terms and conditions of the employment are mentioned in the contract.

Fines related to Work Permits: In the UAE, a fine is imposed as a corrective measure if the work permit is not renewed or issued promptly.

Entitlements to Employees: The employer must ensure that the employee has received all their rights as per the UAE employment laws, such as gratuity, workers’ compensation, or any other perks to which they were entitled in their job.

Other Conditions: Any other conditions set by the authorities or the Ministry to protect the employee’s rights shall be fulfilled with diligence as soon as possible.

The cancellation of a work permit means that the employee’s residency visa is also cancelled. However, if the employee has family members settled through a sponsorship visa, they have the benefit of a ‘visa hold’ while switching jobs.

The service of ‘VISA HOLD’ benefits employees with family members as their visas can remain active while they search for another job and get a new employment visa. The ‘visa hold’ service is advantageous when the employee’s residency visa is cancelled but cannot sponsor their families under the new visa. This service is valid for two months only – a sufficient timeline for the employee to renew their employment status. However, suppose the employee does not want to cancel the family visas. In that case, they must inform the relevant authorities of their intent to hold the visa until the new employment visa is issued. These measures will save you extra money and time for family visas.

The ‘visa hold’ process is very simple for UAE employees. They have to visit the AMER centre, which provides visa and residency services for employees. However, you can also take your case to other relevant authorities who process the visa status in the UAE. It depends on the emirate you, your current and future employer, and the relevant visa authority you should. For example, if an employee is switching emirates, the authorities in both emirates should be informed about this transition by the employee.

The authorities have different procedures and require various employee documents to ensure a smooth transition. Therefore, employees should consider this properly when considering a job switch in the UAE.

The foremost thing that they should be mindful of is the work permit and visa cancellation. Employees must ensure the employer has used the right channel to dismiss a work permit and residency visa. Secondly, the employees have only 60 days to hold the visa status and seek advice from the relevant authorities. As soon as the employee gets the new work permit, they should transfer the family sponsorship on the new visa to avoid additional costs.

It is safe to use the services of Amer centres because they specifically work on residency and visa services for employees to ensure that they are settled in the UAE with their families easily. They will guide you through the visa process and explain how to do better on the ‘visa hold’ within two months after getting a work permit cancelled by the previous employer.

Considering that the UAE is a global market and investors have found lucrative opportunities, one should explore the Dubai and Abu Dhabi markets. The employment laws are secured so that you will be given your rights. If there is any discrimination in the UAE, you can contact a labour and employment lawyer for your case.