I am M.Sankaralingam, living in Tamilnadu, India and lately I have been selected as Site-Engineer (Electric) in AL Shirawi Electric & Mechanical Engineering Co.LLC, Dubai for 4500 dirham. I am 37 years old with 17 years Indian experience in electric field and I’m very new to abroad. I don’t know about visa processing & work permit etc. Now I’m waiting for visa. I think it will take one month time. What do you think about this?
Reply:
An employment ban, labor ban, work permit ban are all different terms for the same thing i.e. you are not allowed to work in the Unite Arab Emirates for a certain time frame if you are just new to arrive in Dubai. Note that this is an automatic ban on providing a work permit or labor card imposed by the Ministry of Labor (MOL). Nothing is stamped in your passport but when a new employer hands in an application to the MOL, it will automatically be rejected if a ban is on your computer file. A 6 month labor ban does not affect permission to visit the UAE – you can still enter on a visit visa or tourist visa. If you have a 1 year labor ban you might also be restricted from visiting the UAE – check with the immigration department first.
According to Article 63 of the “General Provision for the Entry Permits and Visas” legal document (as seen on DNRD website), “no new Entry Permit or Visa may be issued for employment except after the elapse of six months from the date of the last departure from the territories of the State”, but the following categories of workers are exempted:
* Engineers
* Doctors, Pharmacists and Male Nurses
* Agricultural Guides
* Qualified Accountants and Auditors
* Administrative Employees holding university degrees
* Technicians operating on scientific, electronic instruments and laboratories
* Drivers licensed to drive heavy vehicles and buses, in case the transfer of sponsorship is to a similar party
* Workers in private oil companies when the transfer is between such companies
Unknown if this is current information (DNRD document is undated). Last checked 01 March 2009 but document appears to be more than a year old, so may happen to be superseded by changes to UAE visa rules in 2008.
