Spouse and Child Visa

Work permit for a new job

Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) issues work permits. The employer needs to apply to MoHRE for the work permit.

Under Article 1 of Ministerial Decree No. 766 of 2015, an employee whose employment was terminated because of expiry of his contract, whether limited or non-limited can get a new work permit when he wishes to join new employment.

An employee can also get a new work permit for all limited and non-limited contracts if:

it is determined that the employer has failed to meet the legal and contractual obligations, including but not limited to failure to pay wages for more than 60 days

MoHRE confirms that the employer has not provided work due to the firm being inactive for more than two months and if the worker reports to the ministry during this period the final ruling in a labour case (which MoHRE referred to the Labour Court on the basis of a complaint) is in favour of the employee and where the case pertains to early termination or outstanding wages which are less than two months of dues for end of service. If the employee is in the UAE, he must maintain a status which allows him to transfer his residency to a different sponsor.

Related links: Ministerial Resolution No.(764) of 2015 on standard employment contracts Job offers and contracts services – MoHRE New permits for unskilled workers A new permit can be granted when both the worker and the employer mutually consent to terminating the contract during the term provided that the worker has completed at least six months’ employment. The ministerial decree notes that a new permit can be issued to a worker whose employer terminated him unfairly, without the need to complete six months. New permits for skilled workers

The requirement of six months’ employment is waived if workers qualify for the skill set series 1, 2 or 3 as classified by the ministerial decree, which denotes holding a university degree, post-secondary diploma or high school diploma respectively. This is applicable if the employee fulfills his contractual commitments.