Q: Good morning. My sister joined a company 2 weeks before her visit visa expired. Her company delayed processing her visa until she got overstay fines. The company now suggested she pays for the fines before they issue her employment visa. She didn't have money and requested for the overstay fine to be deducted from her salary because she wants to work. The company made her sign an agreement paper stating AED 6000 will be deducted from her salary as overstay fines. The company is deducting this cash monthly alongside a deduction because of COVID-19. But for two months now, they didn't pay her salary. Every time she requested the salary, she is not given it. Now she stops working and wants to be paid before she starts working again. She is still in her probation period and wants to request termination because the company is not terminating her. Would she have any ban if she requested termination during this probation period or if the company decided to terminate her?

Q: Hello Sir, A friend of mine was offered a job in Dubai on a visit visa, and he is working at the company for almost past 4 months on the same visa. Last month, his visit visa was expired and overstayed. The company had cleared his overstay and has issued him yet another visit visa for a month. Now, whenever he asks the HR for work visa status, he is not getting a proper reply. My friend says he does not want to continue, but the company has the passport and they are not giving him the passport. He knows that working on a visit visa is illegal in the UAE, and he wants to quit. What are his options? Should he contact the labour department or MOL? Will he be deported, fined and/ or jailed?

Q: I have been on a visit visa. I found a job with a company. My visa expired. The company is telling me to lie to immigration that they just hired me. They told me that I should cry so immigration has mercy and forgive the overstay. The manager said that I should go to the airport and cry there. I am Ugandan. Please advise me!

Q: Dear Sir/Madam, I joined a company in Abu Dhabi during the first week of February. My offer letter states that if I wish to leave before one month, no salary will be given, and if I leave within six months, one month's salary will be deducted. However, the company has not yet started to process my visa, and it has been two months. Can you please advise if I can leave the company immediately without serving the notice period?

Q: Dear Sir/Madam, My company is not processing my visa, and I am already overstaying with fines. I want to leave them. Can I do it right away without giving them notice? I have signed the offer letter and contract since I joined them four months ago.

An interview-format article covering the topic of overstaying your tourist or resident visa in the UAE. This is from the legal podcast of lawyer Ludmila Yamalova, the founder of Lawgical with LYLAW. Ludmila discusses the aspects of overstaying, like fines, grace periods, exemptions...etc.

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).