Q: I have completed 11 months as a general accountant in Dubai. During the last month of my first year, I had to leave for family matters. After leaving, I couldn't get back to Dubai due to family problems and the international pandemic COVID-19. My boss shouted and informed me that he will ban my visa permanently. Is this possible?

Q: My company has placed all of the employees on unpaid leave due to the COVID-19 situation. Can they legally do this without even paying our basic salary or expenses?

Q: Termination without Notice Period I'm working in a company for over 7 months, and my probation period is finished. I have an unlimited contract. In my offer letter and also in my contract, there is a 3 months notice period but they suddenly terminated me without any reason. Should I get 3 months salary if go for legal action? Could you please explain the procedure to move legally? And how much time will it take for the legal action and get the benefits?

Q: Dear Madam, I have worked for a company in Dubai on an unlimited contract since April 2019. At the end of March, I was sent home to Europe by my employer for my annual leave for the month of April. I had a flight ticket to come back to Dubai on May 1st, which is now canceled by Emirates Airlines due to the COVID-19 pandemic. What are the consequences if I can not return back to Dubai for the month of May as planned? Will it be legal for them not to pay my May salary, since it was the company’s decision to send me to annual leave during that pandemic? Thank you for your advice!

Q: I am a New Zealand citizen, hired by Dubai based company to work for an assignment in Erbil. I started work in Dec 2019. I had to travel back to India in early Feb 2020 since my mother was not well. I returned back to Erbil on 3 March. I was told that my services are not required and it is terminated. During my working period, I did not get any written notice from the Dubai based company or the client. Now the company refuses to pay: a) My return ticket. b) My stay in Erbil due to Corona Virus lockdown. Can you please let me know how I should proceed. Regards,

Q: Hi, I have been working in my company for about 14 years now. Due to the pandemic, I went home in March as a vacation, but never get any financial assistance from my company. Now my company is not even bothered to bring me back to work. Do I need to resign to find a new job and can I still claim my service fee/gratuity? We are a Free Zone company. Please give advice. Thank you!

Q: Hi, I was working in a private clinic and I submitted my resignation through email and even informed the owner on WhatsApp and worked till the end of my notice period. I have asked my company to cancel my visa since the beginning of my last working week and have sent them repeated calls and even emailed them to cancel my visa. I told them that I will be leaving Dubai on 22/10/2020 so they should cancel my visa before that but they did not cancel my visa and they kept on delaying it. Now, I've left UAE and I still want to cancel my visa so the owner asked me to pay for visa cancellation on WhatsApp, my friend did and they have cancelled my labour contract however my visa is still not cancelled at GDRFA. I have repeatedly sent them messages on WhatsApp, phone calls and email asking them to cancel my visa before I leave UAE on 22/10/2020 but they ignored and did not cancel my visa. My question is what should I do as the next step and how can I cancel my visa as I'm outside the UAE? Please guide me!

Q: I have a partner visa in Sharjah. I am out of the country and I want to come back but flights are closed due to COVID-19. My visa expired on 26 May 2021. How can I renew my visa? Or did the UAE government extend visas?

As the world is currently experiencing a major lockdown and suspension of almost all commercial and civil operations, the question arises in the novelty of Coronavirus outbreak on how serious it is to be dealt with as a Force Majeure.

This article discusses the Ministerial Resolution No. (279) of 2020 Regarding Employment Stability in the Private Sector during the Period of Application of Precautionary Measures to Curb the Spread of the Novel Coronavirus Issued by the Minister of Human Resources and Emiratization in Abu Dhabi on 26/3/2020.

An interview-format article covering the topic of employment issues and laws during COVID-19 in the UAE. This is from the legal podcast of lawyer Ludmila Yamalova, the founder of Lawgical with LYLAW.

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.

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).