Visa extension planned for redundant workers

Redundant workers may be permitted to stay in the UAE for up to six months under proposed changes, Saqr Ghobash, the Minister of Labour announced.

He said the proposed change would help expat workers who have lost their jobs due to the global downturn. The new law, once signed, would provide extra protection to labourers and also give unemployed workers a longer grace period before their visas expire.

Visas will be extended by between three and six months, depending on the worker’s job, but all nationalities will be included, the minister said in comments published in The National.

Expats currently have just one month to leave the country after their employment is terminated. Ministry officials singled out doctors as a profession likely to be granted the maximum extension.

Visa application fees will also be reduced for companies that hire unemployed workers already in the country, the newspaper reported.