The most important UAE Employment Visa Rules

It is essential for anyone who wants to work in Dubai to know the UAE Employment Visa Rules. Even if you have a company in the country and want to hire foreign staff, a good idea is to research these regulations. Currently, there are many regulations in the UAE regarding employees that you have to follow and know.

In this article, you will see information that will help you understand the UAE employment visa rules. In essence, we are going to describe each of these regulations in detail.

Rules for work visa in the UAE

Foreigners need a UAE work permit if they want to work in the country. For this reason, you must follow the UAE employment visa rules presented below:

• The company that wishes to hire foreign personnel must have a valid license and no violations.
• The employee must be at least 18 years old because it is prohibited to hire minors.
• People over 65 represent a higher rate for companies and may not be hired.
• The work that foreign employees are going to do must correspond to the nature of the company that wants to hire them.
• The company has to pay a fee to the employee based on their skills and academic qualifications. Additionally, you must complete a procedure to obtain a work permit.

Documents and requirements for UAE work visa

There are a series of documents that the employee must present to comply with the UAE employment visa rules. In addition, the employer must also comply with all the requirements explained below.

• The employee must have his or her original passport.
• Passport-size photograph that meets UAE requirements.
• Demonstrate academic qualifications with the approval of the UAE embassy or consulate.
• The employee may be asked to submit references from previous work that demonstrate that he or she is qualified for a new job opportunity.
• Medical certificate.
• The company must provide the current commercial license.
• Valid company card.
• Work contract
• Insurance card and any document required by the ministry.
• Pay all fees.

Eligibility to obtain a work visa

As it is not allowed to hire minors to work in the UAE, they must be 18 years old. In addition, the person will be categorized based on their skills or academic qualifications and this is important because it will determine the fee that the company must pay for the documents.

Are there various types of work visas in the UAE?

You should know that there are no different types of visas in the UAE. This way you should know that there is only one work visa and it is the same for skilled and unskilled workers. The only difference is the fee the company must pay.

Procedure to obtain a work visa in the UAE

There are several UAE employment visa rules and that is why you must know the process explained below:

• The first rule of getting a work visa in Dubai is to have a company interested in hiring you.
• The job offer must match what is established in the contract and the employee will have to keep a copy.
• Additionally, the employer must pay all expenses related to recruitment.
• The company must initiate the work permit process while the employee is outside the UAE.
• When the employee receives approval of the work permit application, they will receive their work entry visa.
• Upon arrival in the country, the employee must undergo exams and complete some applications to receive documents to work legally in the country.
• Once all procedures have been completed, the employee can receive his or her work card and Emirates ID.

Documents ex-pats need to stay in the UAE

• Work visa: It is the first document that the employee receives and is valid for 30 days.
• Work permit: It is also known as a work card and is valid for 1 to 3 years.
• Residence visa: Allows the holder to remain in the UAE for 3 years.

Dubai work visa cost

This cost will depend on the category in which the employee is classified. Additionally, whether the worker is qualified or unskilled as explained below:

• Skilled worker: Refers to labor that requires specialized training or a set of specialized skills.
• Unskilled worker: refers to labor that does not require specialized training or skill.

Among the job categories, you find 3 and these are:

• Category 1: People who have a university degree.
• Category 2: People who have a higher education degree in any field.
• Category 3: People with a high school diploma.

Depending on the category of the employee and whether or not he is qualified, the rate that the company must pay is determined, being these:

Category 1: Both classified and unclassified have a fee of AED 300.

Category 2: They are divided into categories from A to D and are:

• A: Skilled worker 500 AED and unskilled 1200 AED.
• B: Skilled worker 1000 AED and unskilled 2200 AED.
• C: Skilled workers 1500 AED and unskilled 2700 AED.
• D: Skilled worker AED 2000 and unskilled worker AED 3553.

Category 3: Both classified and unclassified have a fee of AED 5,000.

Connect Resources has been working with the UAE Employment Visa Rules with several companies for over 20 years, so you can trust them to help you with the documentation and worries that come with hiring staff from abroad.

Would you like to get in touch with Connect Resources for the Visa Procedure? You can call at +971 433 166 88 or you can send an email to contact@connectresources.ae and you’ll talk to one of their representatives that gladly will answer all of your questions.