Q: Hi, My employer is asking me to pay for visa status change cost (AED 572) and entering country expenses (AED 670) from my salary. As per the offer letter, the visa cost and Emirati ID expenses will be borne by the company. Do I need to pay this amount?

Q: Hello, I received a job contract and I'd like to know if it is legal in terms of the UAE labour law to put such a statement in it: "The employee will bear the visa expenses, relocation expenses and all other applicable expenses incurred by the agency during the recruitment phase, in case of leaving before completing the first year". In case I sign such a contract, will I be legally obliged to pay visa expenses for leaving the job before completing one year period? Thank you.

Q: Hi, I have a concern about the final settlement. We hired two employees who completed their 6 months probation period but haven't completed one year yet. We spent almost AED 20,000 on both of them. Now they resigned from their post. I spent on the details are as below 1. Medical Insurance + 2. Absconding Charges + 3. Overstay Payments + 4. Visa Charges. Can you please confirm which amount I can deduct from their final settlement?

Q: Dear Sir/Madam, I have a limited-term contract. I completed 15 months and worked my notice period. My company is asking me to pay half of my visa expenses, which they say is mentioned in my offer letter. What should I do?

Q: Dear Sir/Madam, If I have already resigned after 1 year and it was a forced resignation, will my current employer pay all the compensation that the old employee has spent on (visa, plane ticket, training)?

Q: Dear Sir/Madam, I am an expatriate in Dubai. I joined a company in Dubai, and my contract started in November 2023. It is a limited contract. Due to some issues with the management, they informed me that I would have to leave the company in March 2024, which I did. Upon asking them to cancel my visa so I can return home, they said I have to pay around 5000 AED towards the visa expenses. I have asked them for the exact amount, but they haven’t provided it yet. My passport is with them. I would like to check whether I have to pay the visa expense to them. Since I am not aware of the formalities, I haven’t approached the Labour Department to get my passport back to leave. I fear they may cause more trouble if I initiate a complaint. I would like to seek your valuable advice on how to proceed to claim my passport and exit UAE. Please help!

Q: Hello, My employer is asking me to pay the training fees to cancel my visa. What should I do?

An interview-format article covering the topic of employment in the UAE. This is from the legal podcast of lawyer Ludmila Yamalova, the founder of Lawgical with LYLAW. In this article, Ludmila informs readers what they should do and where they should go if they have not been paid by their employer.

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.

There are laws and international conventions in place to protect workers’ rights and ensure their wellbeing. Specifically, under the UAE Labor Law (Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021), there are established procedures for terminating employment contracts.

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).

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.