Q: Hello I am currently working for a company registered in DMCC free zone. I have resigned and currently serving my notice period of 30 days, I still have 10 days left to serve. It seems the employer is delaying the process because he is not taking time to discuss the exit process nor the EOS. 1) If the employer delays or refuses to cancel/transfer the visa, what can I do? I need to cancel/transfer because of a new job waiting for me. 2) Is it legal for the employer to delay or stop the cancellation/transfer? 3) What legal measures can the employee take? Can the employee later file a complaint about the delay and claim damages related to a late start of work, which includes missed salary and work opportunity? 4) In case of disagreement on the EOS, can we still do the cancellation/transfer first, and later settle EOS separately (in order not to delay my new job starting date)? 5) The employer said that the EOS was paid as part of last year bonus? is it legal? Thank you in advance.

Q: My office is in Abu Dhabi but the company gives me a Sharjah visa because my position is required in one of our projects in Sharjah. Now, I resigned and asked for cancellation but it is almost 1 month and my visa is not cancelled yet. My new company is asking for the cancellation, what should I do to make my old company give me my cancelled visa?

Q: Hello Sir! I worked as a Logistics Coordinator from Sep. 2017 - Feb. 2018 in a free zone company in Dubai. I resigned with a 30-day notice before my probationary period ends because of unpaid salary and my employer accepted my resignation. It's been 5 months since I left the company, but my visa has not been cancelled by my employer which is fine for me as I am still looking for a new job as at this time. My previous employer did not pay me my last 2 months' salaries and has not responded on any of my follow-ups. My question is at the time that I get to find a new job and need cancellation of my old visa, what if he does not respond? Will the free zone company still cancel my visa even without my old employers NOC?

Q: Hi, I got terminated by the company during the probation period. I have 2 months' salary pending. They told asked me to sign the work permit cancellation and after cancellation, the pending salary will be issued to me. I signed and the cancellation is done. Now, they are saying that the pending salaries are deducted for visa cost and other expenses; your visa is canceled and you don't have any relationship with the company. What can I do now?

س: السلام عليكم، أعمل الآن في منشأة وما زلت في فترة التجربة ومكتوب في عقد العمل يجب إخطار صاحب العمل قبل شهر واحد من الاستقالة. هل يحق لي ترك العمل بسبب الإخلال بالشروط دون إخطار صاحب العمل بالاستقالة؟ وهل يترتب عليّ مساءلة قانونية أو دفع غرامة؟

Q: Dear lawyers, I have a question about visa cancellation after termination and need urgent help. I got fired during probation and they told me to return everything immediately and not to serve during the notice period. So I returned to my home country before my last day of work (just 1 day earlier) due to a family emergency. After that, they settled my EOS and then initiated the visa cancellation. The EOS letter I signed at that time said "Termination Type: Termination by company". I was already out of the country at that time and they asked me to come back to UAE to cancel my visa but I didn't. So now they said not to come back but asked me to sign a new EOS letter but this time it says "Termination Type: Out of country". If I sign this, can they put absconding on me? Can I just not sign it and wait for 6 months to get my visa canceled automatically? They do not seem to have good intentions, that's why I need your help to ensure my rights are protected. Thanks in advance!

The UAE has adopted a major reform in its legislative system that brought about 40 new laws and amendments to the company law, criminal law, personal status, among others. The amendments aim to develop the legislative structure in various sectors, the labor law being one of these, was the most recent. We try in this article to shed light on the changes introduced with the new labor law and their significance on both, the employer and employee.

The provisions of this Law, known as "UAE Labour Law", govern the relationship between employers and employees and other labour matters in the United Arab Emirates. There are special labour related regulations applicable in some of the free zones in the UAE.

According to this Decree, tentative approval to admit a foreign worker for the purpose of employment in the UAE cannot be granted until an Employment Offer that conforms with the Standard Employment Contract is duly signed by the employee and presented to the Ministry of Labour.

The provisions of this Decree-Law, known as "New UAE Labor Law", govern labour relations in the private sector of the United Arab Emirates. The New Labor Law repeals the previous UAE Labor Law (Federal Law No. (8) of 1980).