Q: My employer cancelled my visa last month and said that I should look for work, after that, I can take my passport. So my concerns are that I may not find work and I want to get back to my country. What will he do?

Q: Dear Sir/Mam, After serving my 30 days notice in which I had sent multiple emails to the management for the handover and cancellation, I received the first reply from the management on the last day of the notice stating that I need to extend and the visa will be cancelled only if a satisfactory handover is done. I filed a labour complaint on 16th Feb and got a call from labour on 21st Feb stating that my visa cancellation and settlement will be done by 28th Feb as per the management and the labour complaint was closed. ON the 24th when I called the company if I need to come to sign the cancellation documents, they informed me that they won't cancel my visa as my handover was not complete! I have filed a complaint again. Can handover be the basis of the non-cancellation as I had served my 30 days notice period and whose responsibility is in regards to handover, employee or employer? Can the legal advisor force the company to cancel my visa or is it mandatory to be transferred to the labour court?

Q: My office is in Tecom Free Zone. I resigned one month back and now completed the notice period but they didn’t cancel my visa. My new employer is asking for cancellation papers to get me onboard. The current company is not issuing them. I would like to know how many days can a company hold my visa cancellation? And what steps I have to take if they delay my visa cancellation?

Q: Dear Sir/Madam, I work in a semi-government company in the UAE for over 15 years. I resigned last month, and my notice period is three months. If I do not perform the handover, can they extend my notice period? Are there any penalties for not performing the handover?

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.

This Decree sets the rules and conditions for the termination of fixed-term (limited) or unlimited (not term-bound) employment contract between employer and worker in the United Arab Emirates.

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).