UAE offers reprieve for foreign workers with six-month visa ban

DUBAI - Foreign workers in the United Arab Emirates, including Indians, will now be able to switch jobs after two years without facing a six-month ban for leaving their work, a senior official from the country’s Labour Ministry has said.

Acting Director-General at the Ministry, Humaid Bin Deemas, said that those workers who have recently received bans would be issued new work permits from January.

“Following the implementation of the new rules by the Ministry of Labour, expatriate workers who have completed two years with their employers can change jobs without serving the ban,” Gulf News quoted Deemas, as saying.

He further said that sponsors cannot force employees to continue to work for them if the workers do not wish to do so.

“If workers have quit before the completion of two years then they will not be issued labour cards until the two-year period is over,” Deemas said. (ANI)