Q: I recently ended up my contract with my employer because of a medical grounds. Actually, we don't have medical insurance, we are working 17 hours and I am not getting any assistance from the company. After submitting my resignation letter, my employer accepted it but requested me to leave the country then only after he will proceed with the cancellation. He finally agreed after a long period of negotiation. Now, the employment visa is cancelled and he forwarded me the residence cancellation where it's clearly mentioned that I have until 08 December grace period. I asked him to give me back my passport which he is keeping it since I started working for the company and he refused, saying that only on the 19th Jan in reference to my flight date which is 20th of January. In between, I received an offer with three times the salary I used to get and a lot of benefits including health insurance. As per the labour law, does he have the right to keep hold of my passport even after cancellation of my employment visa?

Q: Good day, I left the job one year ago with the consent of my employer but they have my passport and not cancelling my visa. They are asking me to pay them AED 10 for not finishing the contract and worked only for 8 months. Please let me know what action should I take to make myself legal or come back to my home country.

Q: I don't have my passport but labour relation office give me a paper to cancel my visa. My labour card and labour contract are already cancelled by the labour relation office. My passport is with the sponsor. So, please tell me what to do next. Should I just go to the immigration for cancellation or complain first to ask for my passport retention?

Q: Dear sir madam, Is it necessary for a company to keep holding my passport after termination?

Q: Hi there, I have received a signed contract from a company in Dubai, along with a job offer and a ministry job contract. I used to work as a freelance employee for the same company in Dubai in 2021. However, just after I received my visa approval, the hiring manager informed me that there was no work available for me. I suspect this was due to issues between the manager and myself. I would like to know if there is any legal action that I can take against the employer for failing to honor the contract.

An interview-format article covering the topic of an employer demanding to hold an employees passport. This is from the legal podcast of lawyer Ludmila Yamalova, the founder of LAWGICAL with LYLAW.

An interview-format article covering the topic of filing an employment court case 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.

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).