No family visa cancellation required for job change in UAE

Hi,am sponsored by my husband and we both have Dubai visa.I came here on 12th December 2011.But now my husband got a new job in Sharjah Airport free zone.so he need to change his visa.How can i hold my visa and do we need to submit 2 bedroom contract.I am looking forward for your detailed valuable advice regarding this as early as possible.
Thank You. 
Mehriya

Answer :

The general immigration practice in the United Arab Emirates requires expats switching employers not only to cancel their own residence visas but also the visas of everyone under their sponsorship, be it spouses, children or housemaids. It is only after cancellation is arranged that expat may apply for the visas sponsored by the new company. General directorate of residency and foreigners affairs (DNRD) residence visas of persons under sponsorship may stay in place and remain valid for the originally determined period of time, regardless of the sponsor’s visa change. The employee or resident must apply to the NRD (before the cancellation procedure) for not cancelling the visas of members of his family or those under his sponsorship. He should attach the 5,000 dirhams bank guarantee, the new employment permit issued by the Ministry of Labour to the new sponsor, and the job offer letter from the new employer. The original passports and deposit is kept by the DNRD until the new visa is issued. This sum can be refunded once the sponsor obtains the new residence permit. Residence permits of family members will be automatically transferred to the sponsor without the need to pay a fee.

Employment contracts of Indian workers to be attested online

Employment contracts of Indian workers will now be attested online, a move which will make the process transparent and safeguard workers' rights, Saqr Gobash Saeed Gobash, Minister of Labour, said yesterday.

Workers can review the terms of the contract and approve them before leaving India for the UAE.

Saqr Gobash and Vayalar Ravi look on as Maher O. Badh from the Ministry of Labour (left) and Atul K. Tiwari, joint secretary, Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs, exchange documents signed between the UAE and India to activate an electronic contract in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.

The online validation of the contract will be mandatory for any employer in the UAE, the minister said.

The system was launched yesterday in the presence of Vayalar Ravi, Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs. It is expected to be fully operational in weeks.

At present, job contracts of Indian workers with an Emigration Clearance Required (ECR) stamp have to be attested by the Indian Protector of Emigrants and the Indian Embassy. The ECR stamp is required for those who have not completed their matriculation.

Agents took advantage of the old system to make separate, fake contracts. The new system is activated by an online application by a UAE employer and requires disclosure of the key terms of the offer.

The system follows an agreement signed by both countries last September.

Pension scheme for non-resident Keralites

The Kerala Non Resident Keralites' Welfare Board [KNRKWB]Kerala Pravasi Kshemanidhi Board is a Kerala Government Statutory Undertaking (NORKA Department) and is functioning under the Non-Resident Keralites' Welfare Act, 2008. It has no other Agencies / Organisations / Partners in any form. 

Every Non-Resident Keralite of 18-55 age is entitled to register his name as a member of the Fund. A Non-Resident Keralite (India) above 18 years of age who has left Kerala for employment or otherwise and resides for more than 6 months in a place in India outside Kerala and continues there can register his name as member. A Non Resident Keralite (abroad) can register his name immediately on obtaining the emigration clearance and before leaving the State. Non Resident Keralites who left Kerala prior to the commencement of the Act and the Welfare Scheme implemented under it can register their names to the Fund within a period prescribed by the scheme.

The registration fee is Rs. 200

A Non-Resident Keralite (India) who has returned to Kerala leaving his employment or residence outside Kerala and resides permanently within Kerala can continue as deemed member to the Fund on continuous payment of contribution to the Fund until the attainment of 60 years of age.

Fund formation:The Act envisages the formation of the Welfare Fund through contribution from the registered members @ of Rs. 300/- per month as contribution from each Non Resident Keralite (abroad). Every Non Resident Keralite (abroad) member when returned and settled down permanently in the State has to pay Rs. 100 only. Non Resident Keralites (India) member has to pay Rs. 100 as contribution per month.  Every deemed member shall contribute Rs. 50 per month. The Board can avail for the Fund grants or loans or advances from the Government of India or the State Government or the local Self-Government institutions or any other institution/organization. Board can attract donations from any individual or any organization in India or abroad or from any Government agencies in India or aboard or from any other sources.

 Benefits to Member

• Pension to members and deemed members who had completed 60 years of age and had remitted contribution for not less than five years
• Family pension on the death of a member or a deemed member who had remitted contribution for not less than five years.
• Financial assistance on the death of a member due to illness or accident.
• Financial assistance for medical treatment of the members affected with serious illnesses
• Financial assistance for marriage of women members and daughters of the members and for maternity benefit to women members.
• Financial assistance or loans or advances to members for the construction of dwelling houses or for the purchase of land and building or for the purchase of land or for the maintenance of house.
• Financial assistance for education including higher education to the children of members.
• Self employment assistance to reputed persons
• Financial assistance to members incapacitated to attend work due to permanent physical disability
• Financial assistance investment in any company or firm or co-operative society or institution constituted under the Act.

Dubai to issue investors instant trade licences

The Dubai Department of Economic Development (DED) is planning to issue instant trade licences to investors under a new ‘120 days hassle free licence’ initiative that will be launched this year.

The move, which will allow investors to have their licences issued immediately, will drastically simplify the investment and business registration process, depending on the risk factors of the intended business activity.

The UAE has improved its rank in Ease of Doing Business to 33 in 2012, up from 35 in 2011, under the World Bank’s annual Doing Business report. DED said the scheme is aimed “to give businesses in Dubai a head start and promote the emirate’s competitiveness”.

“It is critical today that we ensure that the key sectors of our economy — trade, logistics, finance, knowledge sector, tourism, retail, and manufacturing and industry — are made even stronger and more competitive in this globalised age,” Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, said.

DED, the government’s trade licensing and regulatory body, renews and issues roughly 120,000 trade licences annually.

The 120-day licence allows businessmen to start businesses immediately and complete the rest of the licensing requirements, such as approvals from other government authorities concerned, within the subsequent 120 days.

Government authorities are entitled to ensure full compliance by the licence holder to the licence criteria on day 121.

The initiative, being implemented under the directives of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, will simplify procedures and facilitate business.

“The 120-day licence is part of DED’s efforts to enable businesses to make full use of the advantages of Dubai and improve the emirate’s ranking in the Doing Business Report of the World Bank,” said Mohammad Shael, Chief Executive Officer of the Business Registration and Licensing (BRL) Division at DED.

Business activities have been categorised as no-risk, low-risk and high-risk for the sake of evaluating the risk component.

More than 90 per cent of the businesses in the emirate are no-risk or low-risk and therefore a vast majority of businesses stand to benefit from the 120-day licence.

For high-risk business activities constituting the remaining 10 per cent, such as restaurants and clinics, all standards set by the government authorities concerned must be fully met before DED issues the licence.

Dr Khalid Maniar, founder and managing partner of Horwath MAK, told Gulf News, “The move will definitely attract investment and improve the competitiveness of Dubai, and enhance its global ranking in doing business.”

Shael said: “The categorisation depends on four main risk factors, evaluated on the basis of whether the business activity is harmful to human beings, harmful to animal life, harmful to plants, or harmful to the environment.

“When a businessman approaches DED for a licence, a 120-day licence is issued immediately, on completion of the necessary procedures, if the specific business activity falls under the no-risk or low-risk categories.”

Referring to the 120-day hassle-free licence as a new philosophy of business registration and licensing, Shael said the initiative along with significant reforms like Law No 13 of 2011 will dramatically enhance the ease of doing business.

“These facilities have stringent standards often embedded in their design and they go through years of preparations and inspections. Hence there is no risk in issuing them a licence.

“It will in fact allow them to complete procedures like testing and hiring before starting actual operations,” Shael said.

Law No 13 issued by Shaikh Mohammad in 2011 acknowledges the contributions of free zone companies to Dubai’s economy and allows such firms to open branches in Dubai while maintaining their presence in the free zone.