An employment visa is one of the most common types of visas in the UAE. When an employee decides to leave the country, it is necessary to go through the process of visa cancellation and final settlement. There may be different reasons to request a visa cancellation, but it is essential to do it correctly to prevent legal consequences.
As previously stated, if you are abroad for longer than six months, your visa will automatically be canceled and you will automatically be subject to Final Settlement. If your visa is revoked due to your absence from the United Arab Emirates, your employer will not notify you.
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In this article, you are going to learn more about visa cancellation and final settlement to clear any doubts that may surround this subject. A UAE visa cancellation is not a complicated process, but there are certain steps to follow. Let us observe:
- Who can cancel your UAE visa?
- What should you do before your UAE visa gets canceled?
- How to cancel your UAE visa?
- What to do after a visa cancellation?
- Which documents are required for visa cancellation and final settlement?
- Is it mandatory to cancel your UAE visa?
- How can Connect Resources help you with the visa cancellation process?
1. Who can cancel your UAE visa?
When it comes to residence cancellation, you need to know who can cancel your visa. Many employees think that they can get a UAE visa cancelled by themselves. But, this is not possible since the only authority with the power to carry out a UAE Labour Law visa cancellation is the employee’s sponsor.
When workers arrive in the UAE, they can only do it under a sponsor. This employer is who requested the individual’s entry permit and residence visa. For this reason, only this person can request a visa cancellation and final settlement.
The employee should ask their employer to start this process by issuing an employee visa cancellation letter. In this letter, the worker must state the reasons why they require a work permit cancellation.
In simple words, visa cancellation and Final Settlement automatically happen if you are outside the country for more than six months.
1.1 How many days does the visa cancellation process take in the UAE?
Once the employer starts the visa cancellation process, completing it will be fast. Workers can get their visa cancelled in just one day. However, it could take slightly longer.
If you want the process to be even faster, you must send your visa cancellation request letter to the company in advance considering the time it may take.
1.2 How to cancel an employment visa in Dubai?
To cancel an employment visa, the employer is responsible for initiating the process. It is very straightforward, and the employee does not have to do anything besides providing their signature as proof of having received employee benefits and as proof of agreement with the cancellation.
Since the employer is the only one who can start the process, there may be some concerns among employees regarding this matter:
- Can my employer cancel my visa without my signature?
No, your employer needs to get your signature for your employment visa cancellation in the UAE. However, if you leave the country for more than six months, your visa cancellation will proceed automatically and you will not be informed.
- Can my employer cancel my visa without informing me?
No, the employer must inform you if your visa is going to get cancelled with a labour cancellation paper. You will have to sign a letter to continue with the process, and you also have to confirm that you have received your contractual benefits. Thus, sign the visa cancellation paper only after receiving your due benefits.
- Do I need a passport for a visa cancellation?
A UAE visa cancellation without a passport is a common concern among employees. However, since employees do not need to be present for the process, a passport is not required.
Moreover, the UAE government is simplifying the processes for employers. Now, they can apply for visa cancellation in Dubai through a website.
1.3 What are the free zone visa cancellation rules?
The process of residence visa cancellation in a free zone requires the presence of the employee and the employer and the company headquarters. An officer will attend to the location and verify that they are following all the rules, and that it is a mutual agreement to cancel the visa.
The employee should have their original passport and Emirates ID to start the process. On the other hand, employees can look for a visa cancellation letter sample in the UAE to better understand what to include in this document.
1.4 Who must cancel a family visa?
When it comes to family visa cancellation in Dubai, the sponsor is responsible to complete the process. Since the employee is the sponsor, he or she needs to carry out the process of dependent visa cancellation in Abu Dhabi at the immigration office or at an authorized typing center.
The documents you will need to submit for an Abu Dhabi visa cancellation for your family are the following:
- Original passport (sponsor and dependents)
- Sponsor’s original Emirates ID
- Filled application
- Pay the cancellation fee which ranges from AED 200 to 250
2. What should you do before your UAE visa gets canceled?
Before the cancellation of your visa in Dubai, there are some things you need to do to have everything in order. Since requesting a visa cancellation in Abu Dhabi means that you are leaving the UAE, you need to consider the following:
- Close your bank account
- Pay all your loans and credit cards
- Make sure your employer provides all of your benefits, salaries, and settlements.
- Pay your utility bills
- Cancel your leasing contract
This will enable you to leave faster once you get your cancellation approved.
3. How to cancel your UAE visa?
The process for a visa cancellation and final settlement is generally simple. You will go through the following:
- Regardless of your intention to cancel your visa, you must inform your employer with a residence UAE visa cancellation paper.
- Your employer has to print the application form at a typing center or online through the GDRFA website.
- The sponsor and employee have to sign the application
- The sponsor needs to gather all the documents required for the process
- Following this, the employer has to cancel the labor card.
- Next, is the cancellation of the work permit. The employer has to submit a letter signed by the employee, stating that he or she has received all the wages and end-of-service benefits.
- If the employee is sponsoring their family, he or she has to cancel the family visa
- Lastly, the GDRFA issues the cancellation.
It is possible to carry out an electronic work permit cancellation. This way, it will be easier for employers.
3.1 Where do sponsors cancel the visa?
There are two ways to carry out a visa cancellation and final settlement:
- In a registered typing center: the sponsor must visit the typing center registered in the emirate and request to fill out the cancellation form and process it online.
- Fully online: the sponsor can carry out the process online through the GDRFA website.
4. What to do after a visa cancellation?
After you get your UAE visa cancelled, you have to consider your next steps. But first, you can check the Dubai visa cancellation status to determine if it has been properly cancelled.
Determine if you want to stay in the UAE for longer or if you want to leave. Also, keep in mind that you will automatically get a grace period of 28 days to get another residence visa or to leave the country.
Make sure to decide in time, because if you stay after the grace period is over, you will have to pay a fine for overstaying.
In case you decide to stay in the UAE, here is what you can do:
- Get a visit or tourist visa: you can fly to another country and apply for a visit visa. This takes 2-3 days and you can enjoy a holiday while you wait for your new document. Then, you can fly back to the UAE.
- Change of visa: you can do an inside country visa change without exit. You can request the provider to handle the paperwork and do the status change.
- Apply for another job: you can obtain another employment visa by applying for a job in the UAE.
- Freelance visa: you can apply for a freelance visa and be your own sponsor to stay in the country.
5. Which documents are required for a visa cancellation and final settlement?
The documents you need for visa cancellation and final settlement are the following:
- Duly filled visa cancellation application form by the sponsor
- Employer’s Emirates ID card
- Approval issued by the MoHRE
- Residence visa
- Cancellation fee
As we mentioned before, a passport is not required, and it is not necessary to receive a cancellation stamp on your visa page. However, if you want it, you will have to attend the immigration office with your cancellation receipt and request the stamp. This does not require paying any fee.
6. Is it mandatory to cancel your UAE visa?
The visa cancellation and final settlement are mandatory for employees that want to leave the UAE. It is important to request the sponsor or employer to cancel the visa, otherwise, you may face legal consequences.
If you leave the UAE without proper cancellation of this permit, your employer will report you as an absconding person. This leads to a ban in the UAE. In other words, you will not be able to apply for a new visa and you may not travel to the UAE. In fact, you may get arrested when you arrive back at the airport.
So, it is always mandatory to request your employer or sponsor to cancel your employment visa.
“How can I check my visa cancellation status in the UAE?” If you have requested your sponsor to cancel your visa, you will want to know if they have completed the process or not. This is how to find out:
6.1 How to check your visa cancellation status in Dubai?
If you leave the UAE for more than six months, your UAE visa is going to get cancelled automatically. For this reason, you may ask yourself “how to check if my visa is cancelled” as you may not know if the process was completed or not.
So, how to check if a UAE visa is cancelled? The answer is simple, you just have to follow the next steps:
- Visit the ICA website
- Change the language to English
- Click on “Passport information”
- Click on your visa type
- Enter your passport number
- Select your nationality
- Click on search
By doing the above, you will know how to check if your visa is cancelled in the UAE. This will display all the information about your visa.
7. How can Connect Resources help you with visa cancellation?
At Connect Resources, we understand how confusing the visa cancellation and final settlement process may be to someone without experience. We want to provide you with all the assistance you need to go through this process easily and successfully.
In addition, we offer the best services for companies looking to thrive in the UAE. Learn more about us and how we can help you with our professional solutions:
- Employer of Record.
- Professional Employment Organization.
- Payroll outsourcing.
- Visa and government services.
- Emiratisation.
- Contract staffing services.
- HR outsourcing services.
- Recruitment services.
- IT outsourcing.
- Staff outsourcing.
- HR consultancy.
- Executive search.
Do you need assistance with your process of visa cancellation and final settlement? Contact us at +971 43 316 688 to receive more guidance or send us your questions at contact@connectresources.ae. We are readily available to help you! Reach out today.
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