Complete guide to getting a work visa in Dubai

Dubai is a location famous for sightseeing attractions such as the world's tallest building Burj Khalifa, shopping malls with mammoth aquariums and indoor ski slopes that attract lots of tourists to Dubai and as such, leading to very high demand for jobs and business. Guest workers choose to establish long-term career goals in Dubai as well because of the tax-free income, affordability, safe environment, bureaucracy, world-class facilities, and the multicultural approach that the country offers.

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Being a world?s business hub, Dubai produces thousands of jobs every year for both skilled professionals and unskilled labor. As such, there are different types of work visas in Dubai they include servants visa, partner visa, investor visa, and governmental institution visas. It is of great importance to inform anyone that wants to live and work in Dubai that a residency visa is needed. The visa type is what allows applicants to get a Dubai working visa. Getting a work visa for Dubai could be a lengthy process and requires patience as well. Because of the very high job competition, many applicants get disappointed very early. It is always good to have a great amount of information before applying for jobs in other countries and as such, all applicants are expected to know that; 

1. The employer usually handles the full application process, so the employee will need to supply all the necessary documents to their employer.
2. All forms and documents for the work permit should be written and processed in Arabic. The employment contract should also be written in Arabic and three copies are needed: one for the employee, one for the employer and one for the Department of Labour.
3. Before getting a residency permit, applicants have to pass a health check. Individuals who test positive for HIV/AIDS or pulmonary tuberculosis will not be granted a residency visa and will be deported.
4. Once the residence visa has been secured, applicants will be supplied with a labor card, which is the official document allowing them to work in Dubai.

Medical Requirements for Residence Visa

A valid health certificate is required for the issuance of a residence permit; this requires applicants to undergo a health check at any government hospital or medical clinic. The test must be conducted once the applicant is in the country; tests from outside the country are not accepted.

The medical check includes a chest X-ray and blood tests to check for certain communicable diseases such as HIV/AIDS, leprosy, hepatitis, and tuberculosis. Positive results on any of these tests will result in a denial of the residence visa and immediate deportation. At present, there is no appeals process for this in Dubai.

Applying for a residence visa

Before the work visa for Dubai, the employee must have a permanent residence visa. On your selection employer applies for the residence visa on behalf of you. A permanent residence visa is typically for 3 years. The following are the documents required for the Permanent Residence Visa.

1. The first step towards getting your work permit is to get approval from the Ministry of Labor. The employer will apply for this on behalf of the employee. If the approval is for application in any of the free zones, approval must be granted before the employee enters the UAE. During this approval process, the Ministry of labor usually bases its decision by checking that there are no unemployed UAE citizens who are able to perform the relevant job.
2. Upon receipt of approval, the Ministry issues an entry permit visa (also known as a pink visa) which allows applicants to legally enter the UAE. This permit is valid for 2 months from the date of issue and allows the holder to remain in the UAE for a period of 30 days, extendable twice.
3. After the employee enters the country, the employer then begins the application process for the labor card. For free zone employment, an ID card will be issued; both IDs and labor cards are typically valid for 2 years. Once the employee enters the country, he has sixty days in which to complete all the formalities required to get a residence visa. It is advisable to get these procedures done as soon as possible rather than waiting until the last moment.
4. The employee then needs to go to the Emirates ID service center after getting the relevant form typed up at any typing center. An original valid passport and valid entry permit are required.
5. The employer can now apply to the Immigration authorities for the residency visa; the employee needs to go to any of the government hospitals for their medical fitness tests. (See section on Medical requirements for Residence Visas). Certain professions also require employees to provide relevant educational qualifications which will be authenticated by the UAE embassy in your home country as well as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the UAE.
6. Once the employer has the results of the medical fitness test, he can then go to the Department of Naturalization and Residency Dubai (DNRD) with all the supporting documents and the visa can be stamped on the employee?s passport.

Documents required for Labor Card (Work Permit)

• Applicant?s photographs
• Residency Visa
• Valid Passport (minimum six-month validity required)
• Valid health certificate
• Three copies of the employment contract ? one for the employer, one for the employee and one for the Ministry of Labor
• Education certificates and other evidence of professional qualifications
• Sponsoring company?s valid trade license
• There should be no Israeli stamps on your passport
• On getting a residence visa you then have to get an ID card of UAE.

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Amount of time it will take to obtain Dubai Work Visa

It usually takes approximately 2-3 weeks to process if your documents are complete and correct. Otherwise, it may take 4-5 weeks.

Money Required to Obtain Dubai Work Visa

To this date, approximately 1500 AED ? 2000 AED is required for the whole procedure.

Basic Rules of Dubai Work Visa

A very important thing to note before applying for a work permit in Dubai is the basic labor laws there so you do not get in any trouble on your arrival or during your stay in Dubai. 

• Every employer/company provides their own work visa and you cannot switch between companies using the same work visa. If you find another better job then you have to get the new Work Visa. Otherwise, you can get into deep trouble resulting in deportation.
• Typically, the Work Visa for Dubai is valid for 3 years. After which you have to ask your employer to renew your Visa.
• If you don?t have a sponsor for the time being to get you a work visa, then you can apply for a temporary work visa.
• If you are already living there, you will surely have a permanent residence visa. So your task is to only search for a job and the rest will be done by the company.
• Every organization provides its own work visa and you cannot switch between companies using the same work visa. Doing so will get you in trouble as it is not legally allowed. Disobeying this law eventually gets the person deported. Also, the documents you will later have will be used for providing essential health benefits to employees like Visa page copy and passport Visa page of the sponsor.
• The validity of a work visa is 3 years after which the employer has to renew your visa.
• If you want to go to Dubai and apply then you need a sponsor or a relative to get you a visit visa or there are airlines which also help in obtaining a visit visa of Dubai.

Amount of time and money required to obtain Dubai Work Visa

As long as all the documents sent along with the application of work visas are correct, it will take approximately 2 ? 3 weeks in the process. If there is some error or if your employer has sent a bunch of applications for a work visa then it may take up to 4 weeks.

This makes your work visa specific and so you cannot switch between your careers and use the same visa. You will have to apply for a new work visa each time you switch your career. The approximate fee for a work visa is Dhs 1500 ? Dhs 2000.

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