Kwait bans visas to Afghani, Irani, Iraqi, Pakistani and Syrians

Kuwait has banned nationals from Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan and Syria from entering the country.The ban includes suspending all tourism, visit and trade visas as well as visas sponsored by spouses, immigration sources said, quoted by Kuwaiti media on Saturday and as reported by 'Gulf News'.

The officials attributed the blanket visa ban to the “difficult security conditions in the five countries” and to “the remarkably increasing tendency of nationals from the five countries to apply for visas to bring in relatives who faced or could face arrest by the local authorities to Kuwait.”

The sources said the authorities insisted that no exception in the visa application would be tolerated, but assed that the ban was temporary and would be lifted after the security situation stabilised.

Last month, a social affairs and labour official denied reports that Kuwait was planning to impose a ban on issuing visas to nationals from the five countries.

No job ban for expats on relatives’ visa in UAE

The UAE does not impose a work ban on expatriate employees sponsored by their relatives in case they want to shift to another job, according to the ministry of labour.A ministry committee discussed several applications for job transfer and exemption of the six-months and one-year ban for some workers at its weekly open-day meeting on Monday.

One application was submitted by a female pharmacist who wants to be sponsored by her husband after the pharmacy where she had worked shut down, according to Alkhaleej newspaper.

The committee told the applicant she can get a new job after transferring visa to her husband and obtaining clearance from the former employer, the paper said.

“The committee made clear that the labour law allows a woman sponsored by her husband to shift to another job without having a work ban because a ban is not applicable on those who are sponsored by their relatives.”

UAE Cabinet decided to limit entry of unskilled expat workers





The cabinet deicded to limit the employment of limited-skill expatriate workers and to encourage the employment of skilled workers from within the UAE based on their vocational and accredited education degrees

  



The UAE cabinet decided to limit the employment of limited-skill expatriate workers and to encourage the employment of skilled workers from within the UAE

Abu Dhabi: A set of policies and resolutions to deal with demographic structure in the UAE has been approved by the Cabinet's session Sunday.

The cabinet decided to limit the employment of limited-skill expatriate workers and to encourage the employment of skilled workers from within the UAE based on their vocational and accredited education degrees.

The meeting was chaired by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. Shaikh Mohammad said that demographic structure challenge is given a top priority on the government's agenda.

The cabinet resolution exempts domestic workers or any other categories specified by the Chairman of the Federal Demographics Council (FDC) from qalification condition.

Several other resolutions to deal with demographic structure were issued and approved strategies for dealing with the issue.

Population balance

The resolutions and strategies aim to achieve a population balance in a parallel with comprehensive development of benefit to all Emirati citizens.

Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, and Lieutenant General Shaikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior and Chairman of the Federal Demographic Council, were present.

The Cabinet session approved passing a number of sovereign resolutions and tasking all relevant bodies with their implementation according to a strategy presented by Shaikh Saif.

The cabinet approved a set of clear objectives on the percentage of Emiratis compared to total population within the next 20 years using a number of policies, coordinated economic and social initiatives according to expected economic and demographic growth scenarios during the next 20 years. All demographic policies taken within that timeframe will aim to achieve these objectives.

The Cabinet instructed all relevant bodies to draw up economic plans and following up on the UAE's workforce by approving a balanced growth pattern that is characterised by economic diversity, relying on a skilled workforce and modern technology during its productive period to attain a national knowledge based economy that provides opportunities and meets the development needs of Emiratis in accordance with the leadership's directives which place citizens as the core for national development.

Productivity

In this regard, the Cabinet approved setting up the Productivity Improvement Fund to stimulate the private sector into improving productivity by relying on technical and technological advancements, and providing a skilled and trained workforce for the private sector. The fund will be an affiliate of the Federal Demographic Council, and its jurisdictions will be approved by the council's chairman.

The Cabinet also instructed relevant bodies to work towards finding suitable alternatives in providing skilled workers for the UAE labour market by setting up labour training centres abroad in the exporting countries to evaluate and train workers before recruiting them. The employer will not handle any additional costs. This system will be adopted to replace the previously unregulated employment system.

Unskilled workers

As for decreasing the number of unskilled workers in the construction sector, which is considered the sector that utilises the highest number of unskilled workers, the Cabinet instructed relevant bodies to lay down a general construction index containing a number of technical criteria that ensure developing productivity in this sector, as well as decreasing the number of unskilled workers in accordance with laws that assist contracting companies in using advanced technology means in this sector.

The Cabinet also instructed relevant labour market bodies to set a minimum limit for qualifications required for some jobs, starting with the construction sector. These qualifications will be approved by the Chairman of the Federal Demographic Council (FDC) in a move that aims to allow the labour market to rely on a skilled workforce and modern technology.

The Cabinet also tasked the FDC to place a limit on the number of employees in some professions that can be compensated for by modern and advanced technologies. The limit will be set on an annual basis, and will be altered when needed.

The Cabinet instructed all bodies concerned to abide by these resolutions, and mandated the FDC to implement the resolutions in coordination with all bodies concerned.

Banned workers must leave UAE:Ministry of Labour

Pvt sector staff must exit even if they hold valid residence visa; Dh50,000 fine for firms hiring banned workers.Private sector workers who get a one-year ban by their employers must leave the country even if their residence visa has not expired, according to the Ministry of Labour.

Clarifying rules governing expatriate workers who are not exempted from the job ban, the ministry said those who stay in the UAE after they get the ban are considered violators of the immigration law.

“Those workers who get a ban and stay in the UAE are violating immigration laws as this means they are staying without a job,” said Humaid bin Dimas Al Suwaidi, Assistant Undersecretary.

“Expatriate workers who come to the UAE enter on a work visa, which allows them to get residence…any violation by the worker of the job contract means he will be banned from work and this will deprive him from residence even if it still valid.”

Quoted by the semi-official daily 'Al Ittihad', Suwaidi said companies which employ a banned worker would be fined Dh50,000.

During the ministry’s weekly “open-day” on Thursday, Suwaidi said he had rejected a request by a company to hire a banned expatriate labourer, adding that worker is now offending immigration laws and must leave the UAE.