Posted: 01/03/2016 Author: Anita Chalke

  • With immediate effect, an attested educational certificate will be required along with Temporary Work Permit applications for certain designations.

  • With immediate effect, companies that exceed the allocated employment quota will not be able to renew employment visas.

Impact of the above changes:

Previously for Temporary work permit applications, attested education certificates was not mandatory. Now for certain designations such as Manager, Executive Secretary etc, attested education certificate is mandatory. The list of designation is listed on the company portal.

Companies must log into their client portal in order to check if they have exceeded their employment quota. These details are mentioned under the 'Company Overview' in the client portal for the respective company. If they have exceeded their quota and the employee wishes to continue working for the company, then the company will have to expand their office space in order to increase their Employment Quota.

Any companies who have exceeded the employment quota will have to cancel the Residence Permits for the employees on or before February 14, 2016 in order to meet the given Employment Quota. The cancellation process is the standard process which has been followed in the past. The employee will be given thirty (30) days after the Residence Permit is cancelled in order for him or her to leave the country or obtain a new sponsorship.

Dubai mainland, Abu Dhabi and all free zones update:

  • With immediate effect, employers can apply for short stay visit visa for foreign nationals and apply for work permit while they are in country, without having foreign nationals leave the country.

Impact of the above changes:

Since 1 January mainland companies have been required to issue employment offer letters as per the Ministry of Labour's approved standard. This has caused delays, especially for employees outside the country, because documents have to be couriered to the employee for signature and then back to Ministry of Labour before work permit approval. Authorities have now updated their systems to allow foreign nationals to enter the country on a short-term visa, complete the work permit application process and receive work permits without leaving the country.

If you have any questions on this issue or any other immigration topics, please contact:

Anita Chalke
Immigration Manager
Santa Fe Relocation Services
Dubai, UAE
T : +971 4 454 2724 Ext :142
M :+971 5 5367 9870
F :+971 (0) 4 454 27 26
Email ID : Anita.Chalke@SantaFeRelo.com

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Santa Fe Group A/S issued this content on 01 March 2016 and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 01 March 2016 12:59:05 UTC

Original Document: http://www.santaferelo.com/news-and-blog/Immigration-Update-Dubai-International-Financial-Centre-(-DIFC)-Freezone-update: