I recently joined a new organization in the Hamriyah Free Zone, and my previous organization has not released my end-of-service benefits. The HR has instructed the finance team not to do so because I had contacted one of their clients. In my DMCC contract, there is no Non-Compete clause, but the offer letter has one, and now they are not releasing the end-of-service. Is this legal? What are my rights?

Hello, I have multiple cheque execution cases filed against me due to financial strains last year. My trade license and visa will expire next month, along with my Emirates ID. Is it possible for me to renew my license and visa along with EID prior to settling the execution cases? The trade license and visa were issued by the free zone authority. I look forward to your response. Thanks.

Dear Legal Advice Middle East, I hope you are well. I am seeking legal advice regarding an unpaid salary issue with my former employer, [-----]2 LLC. I was employed with them from December 4, 2024, to January 7, 2025, on a monthly salary of 5,000 AED. However, I only received a partial payment of 2,473 AED on February 24, 2025. The remaining 2,527 AED is still unpaid. I submitted a complaint to MOHRE on March 2, 2025, but I am unable to proceed further through their official channels. This is because I was working under the visa of my previous employer, [---] LLC, and not under [----]’s sponsorship. As a result, I do not meet the criteria to file a labor complaint via the MOHRE app or hotline. Given this situation, I would appreciate your guidance on how I can legally pursue the recovery of my remaining salary, considering the complications related to my visa status during the employment.

Hello, Does the initiation of an online rental dispute case by a landlord in Dubai automatically lead to the imposition of a travel ban on the tenant? This is not related to bounced cheques; the dispute concerns wear and tear versus damage claims by the landlord.

We received a cheque which has now bounced. We have tried for over a month and a half now to get a new cheque from the person, and every day he says the next day. We need the money now. We have been to the police station, and they said they can not do anything as the reason the cheque bounced is "Insufficient funds." We have been to Al Barsha - Dubai Courts, and they said there is nothing they can do about it. We are not sure what we can do. We need the money asap to pay our kids' school fees, let alone all the interest we have lost.

Good morning. Kindly help me out with the below query: If a sole establishment is converted into an LLC, what would happen to the existing Lease Agreement with the Sole Establishment as the tenant? Thank you.

Good day, Sir, I have received a message from the Dubai Court stating that a bank has filed a civil case against me. The loan has been pending since February 2019. I cleared the cheque bounce case earlier with a court fine in 2019. I am looking forward to a minimum settlement plan with the bank. The outstanding amount was around 70,000 AED, and now the message is for 115,000 AED. What will be the best way for me to proceed: approaching the bank or dealing with it in court? Best regards,

Hello, I have given my notice, and my last day is July 24, but the employer is refusing to pay my salary; even the salary for June. Is this even legal? He claims I'll get everything at once, which is after leaving the country or changing status.

Dear Lawyers, I worked at a bakeshop here in Dubai. I resigned exactly one year ago. Now they want me to pay for visa charges, as stated in the offer letter. If I cannot pay for the charges, my employer will claim financial loss due to the damages, estimated to be at least 7,000 AED. What should I do about this? My monthly salary is only 2,800 AED.

Dear Lawyers, Is an employee eligible for maternity leave in the first three months of pregnancy? If an employee takes sick leave in the first three months of pregnancy, can it be considered normal sick leave or maternity leave?

Hi I bought an off-plan property from a developer in downtown during the peak time. My payment plan was based on construction with completion being Dec 2019. I have paid more than 50%. I requested the developer to readjust my payment plan as the project is delayed. They moved on payment forward and sneakingly changed completion date to Aug 2021 in the document. The SPA still says Dec 2019. Now I'm struggling to pay the next payment due to COVID-19 and project is completed 56% as par Dubai land department and 60% as per the developer. The developer is asking for payment and calling me every day. My question is can I still use the delay in the project as a clause to cancel my unit? Can I cancel my apartment and how much can the developer deduct? After selling me, the developer started offering customers post-handover payment plans for 4 years, which is very unfair as even if I complete my payment, no one will buy from me as the developer is selling something with 4 years post-handover. Can legal help be provided in this regard?

I am a health professional in Canada. Years back, I posted my CV to work in the middle east on a job site in the gulf. Last week, I got 3 emails claiming from a general hospital in Abu Dhabi, a hospital Dubai and another medicare hospital in Dubai for online recruitment. they showed interest in my CV. All emails were from free accounts (gmail.com address). I chose then to forward an email to the concerned HR department of the concerned hospitals. I forwarded one email to the official email of one of the hospitals (as given on the hospital site). They replied and said, yes, the email is legitimate and you can apply with confidence. Now I got an offer letter from Dubai hospital with handsome salary offer but from a Gmail address. They're asking me to start position in one month only and asking to contact a travel agency based in Dubai. Is it a scam or true? I have forwarded the email to the HR department of the hospital to determine authenticity.

Hi, What is the law if an employer wants to change a contract from an unlimited to a limited contract? Is the employer liable to pay the 3 months arbitrary dismissal (if valid) + other monies owed prior to changing the current unlimited contract to a limited contract?

Can a developer change the layout of the building as shown at the launch event and part of all brochures/online advertisements/model under the pretext that the same is not included in the SPA? For the launch, we got convinced with the building design and layout but at delivery, it’s changed without prior intimation. Can I make a legal case or can they take the guise that it’s not part of the SPA? Can I get a refund for the 30% advance payment and refuse possession of the unit?

Hi sir, I live in the UK. I am an investor and a broker for a property development company. One of my customers bought an off-plan property from it i.e just Cavalli Villa 2 years ago. 33% was completed and handover is due in 2021. My client paid part of the deposit around AED 390000 (£80000) and she has been paying to the project for the last two years until early this year when COVID- 19 hit the UK. Since then, she has been ill and lost her job and, therefore, she is unable to pay. My customer received a letter from the company saying that if the outstanding amount is not paid within 30 days, then they will take her to court. They say that they would cancel her plot and she will lose all MONEY paid so far. My client needs payment delay until her situation improves but this request has been declined. The money secured under the ESCROW account. Can the developer have the power to take money from the escrow account? What is her right under Dubai law? Can she do anything to avoid court order? The UK is in lockdown at the moment with no proper or normal banking functions. Thank you!