UAE Lists 3 Conditions That Can Ban Foreign Workers From Getting New Work Permit for 1 Year

• The UAE government has officially outlined the conditions under which foreign private sector workers can be barred from obtaining a new work permit for 12 months
• One of the three triggers involves resigning during a probation period where the employer has met all contractual obligations
• Workers whose permits were issued under fictitious companies also risk the one-year restriction if those establishments are found to be fraudulent

The United Arab Emirates has published the specific conditions under which a foreign worker in its private sector may be prohibited from securing a new work permit for an entire year.

The UAE government's official website states that the restriction comes into effect when a worker violates any provision of Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021, which governs employment relationships in the country's private sector, along with its related amendments and implementing regulations.

3 grounds for the UAE work permit ban

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Three distinct situations can trigger the one-year bar on obtaining a new work permit.

The first concerns employees who resign while still serving their probation period. The penalty applies specifically in cases where the employer has honoured all contractual obligations.

If the company upheld its side of the agreement and the worker still chose to leave early, the restriction becomes applicable.

The second ground involves work abandonment. Should an employer file an abandonment report against a worker and that report is later confirmed as valid, the individual in question becomes subject to the one-year ban.

Work abandonment covers situations where an employee stops reporting for duty without authorisation or any legitimate reason.

The third scenario relates to permits tied to fictitious establishments. Workers whose employment permits were originally issued through companies later found to be non-genuine face the same restriction.

Once such an establishment is identified as fraudulent and the permit is cancelled, the worker cannot obtain a new one for 12 months.

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What the ban means in practice

For anyone caught under these conditions, the restriction effectively closes off formal employment in the UAE's private sector for the full duration of the ban.

The regulations form part of the country's broader framework to maintain order within its labour system and discourage conduct that undermines employment relationships.

Workers thinking of resigning during probation, or those with doubts about whether their employer is a legitimate entity, are advised to thoroughly review their contracts before taking any steps that could expose them to the penalty.

Source: YEN.com.gh