UAE visa problem for Indians with new passports

Dubai: Visa applications with new Indian passports that do not have an ‘emigration clearance not required’ (ECNR) stamp are being rejected by the Ministry of Labour’s website, Gulf News report.

The Indian government requires all citizens who have not passed secondary school and are applying to work in one of 17 specified countries, including the UAE, to have an emigration clearance stamp on a specific page of their passport.

Those with a secondary school pass or better needed an ECNR stamp.

However, as this was putting people through unnecessary hassle, the Protectorate of Emigrants abolished the need for the ECNR stamp and removed the page in October 2007.

Joseph B., who worked in Abu Dhabi for nearly a decade, recently moved to Dubai for a new job, but his visa application was initially rejected because his recently renewed passport didn’t have the ENCR stamp.

“My online application was rejected because the emigration clearance page was not there,” Joseph said.

“I complained with CGI [Consulate General of India] Dubai, but nothing happened for several days.

“Later somebody suggested me to show them the old passport which had ECNR stamp. Only then my visa was cleared.”

But not everyone has been successful.

Mohammad Ali, 40, is also a long-time Dubai resident. He was shocked when his company told him his visa application had been rejected.

On inquiry he found he was rejected because his new passport didn’t have the emigration clearance page.

Ali says time is running out because his visa has already expired and he is in the grace period.The CGI Dubai, which has received several complaints, confirmed there has been an issue with new passports.

“We have received several complaints and our embassy in Abu Dhabi has taken up the issue with the Ministry of Labour,” said Ashok Babu, CGI Dubai’s media consul.

“We have clarified with them that the new passports don’t have the ‘emigration clearance’ page generally and that only in cases where clearance is required the ECR stamp will be there.”

He added that the Ministry of Labour is aware of the development has promised to change the system accordingly.

“I think the problem is already rectified because we haven’t received any complaints in the last two days,” Babu said.

Insecure environment at work site, UAE ministry rejects work visas for women

The Ministry of Labour has rejected several applications by employers for new work visas for women in line with existing laws which ban the employment of females at insecure job sites.

The Ministry told employers at companies located at an industrial zone in Dubai that it would not grant work permits for women because of the “unsafe and insecure work environment at that site,” Alkhaleej daily said.

Article-30 No women shall be employed on any job that is hazardous, arduous or physically or morally detrimental or on any other work as may be specified in a resolution by the Minister, after consulting the concerned authorities.

“The Ministry of Labour stressed that it would not give any exceptions in this respect…it said its decision followed field visits by its inspectors to those sites,” the Sharjah-based Arabic language daily said.

“The Ministry affirmed its commitment to laws which ban the employment of women at certain work sites to ensure their safety.”

The report said the Ministry also made clear women cannot work at night at most sites except in emergency cases and in medical and related jobs.

Article-28 No women shall be required to work at night. The term “at night” refers to the period from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.

The paper noted that UAE labour laws prohibit the employment of women at mines and other underground work sites as well as fireworks factories, welding workshops and other dangerous fields.

You can sponsor housemaid only if you have a maid's room

Adnan Al Hamady of Dubai Naturalisation and Residency Department, confirmed that two attested certificates are needed to sponsor anyone on visa to UAE - the first is a rent contract attested by the Dubai Municipality or Ajman Municipality or Sharjah Municipality, depending on where you reside.

The rent contract must explain how many rooms are there and if there is a room for the housemaid or not, if applying for a housemaid visa.

The DNRD has details of sponsor's family, so it can determine the number of people who live in the house against the information on the number of rooms provided in the tenancy contract, he added.

The second paper needed as a sponsor is the water and electricity bill attested by the provider from the same emirate where the resident lives.

Hamad Hassan, Manager of the DNRD Director-General's office, told Emirates24|7 that if anyone wants to sponsor for visit or transit visa, then they
have to provide a copy of their passport with Visa page and certificate of salary and the attested rent contract and utility bills.

The same is the requirement for bringiing in house help such as houemaids, gardeners, drivers etc., he added.

A typing office representative said a photocopy of sponsor's and visitor's passports are also needed, one passport size photograph of the visitor and
Labour contract of the sponsor are also needed, for visit visas.

For housemaids, same is the requirement, plus the rent and utility bills. For one month's visit, the visa fee is Dh720. For three months, it is
Dh1,270.

The sponsor also has to pay a guarantee of Dh2,000, which is refundable after vistor has gone from the UAE.

For housemaid, work visa costs Dh270 and Dh2,000 guarantee after housemaid's visa is cancelled. When housemaid comes here, sposnor has to pay a fee of Dh5,000. Housemaid visas have a renewable validity of one year.

Employee six months out of country for Labour Card cancellation

UAE employees who stay outside the Emirates for more than six months can have their labour cards cancelled. This was revealed at the weekly labour ministry meeting, according to 'Al Ittihad' newspaper. Companies must submit proof of absence along with documents of due settlement. The ministry officials refused to accept an employer's request to cancel an Arab's labour card who has been outside the country for only five months.

The company was asked to wait for another month and then submit the proof of the worker’s absence to the department of naturalisation and residency along with  documents to prove settlement of all his dues. Only then can the employer apply  for cancellation of the worker's labour card.

Amending Labour Contract

Addressing another case, ministry officials clarified that companies can amend  labour contracts - change names of professions or salaries - only in the presence of the  employees concerned. Else it will be considered a violation of labour rights.

Temporary work permit

Issuance of temporary work permits would depend on the type of labour dispute and  would be considered by the ministry only once the case has been referred to the  labour court. Once the terms and conditions as stipulated by the labour laws are adhered to, the ministry reserves the right to issue temporary work permits without the approval of employers. Similarly, the worker in dispute, need not necessarily have a residence visa provided it is proved that the case has been  referred from the labour court.

Job transfer

Workers under three skill levels can end their contract without an agreement with  the employer even before completing two years. They include employees who have a  bachelor's degree and earns a minimum Dh12,000; or diploma holders with Dh7,000  monthly salary; and those who possess secondary school certificate earning  Dh5,000.

Meanwhile, officials approved a request of a company to hire as director a British  who has no university degree but holds a certificate from a institute which he  attended for three years after high school.

Explaining its decision, the labour committee, including Khalil Khouri, Director  of work permits, and Saleh Al Jabri, Director of the Unit of facilities in Abu  Dhabi, said in this case the employee has 10 years’ experience in the same job at  the headquarters of the company in his country.

UAE plans to provide multiple entry visa for cruise tourists

The United Arab Emirates may provide multiple entry visa for cruise tourists from September, sources disclosed. The issue was under discussion for almost three years.

“It is finally expected to be in place by September,” a senior official of Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) disclosed.

“We have reemphasized the importance of having implemented a multiple entry UAE visa for the cruise tourists to the highest level and it is under way. Hopefully, we will have a positive feedback before the next cruise season commencing in October this year,” Hamad bin Mejren, DTCM Executive Director of Business Tourism, said at a press conference recently.

The UAE has the most modern and the largest cruise facility in the GCC, spanning over a 12,000 sq m with a dedicated pier length of 2000 meters with the capacity to accommodate five to six cruise ships simultaneously.

The current visa process imposes financial burden as well as a lot of documentation procedures for the tourists of nationalities who are not on the list of countries whose citizens get visa on arrival. The multiple entry visas will help in removing such obstacles and will create a wider marketing perspective to bring tourists from key source markets such as Russia, China, India, South Africa, Brazil and other emerging markets.

Dubai Cruise Terminals, managed and operated by DTCM for the government of Dubai, catered to 396,500 cruise tourist who arrived from 108 ship calls in 2011. This year, Dubai is expected to see 420, 000 cruise tourists to the emirate, giving a big push to the tourism growth and the economy. The projections for 2013 are 125 cruise ships and 450,000 passengers and in 2014 the number of cruise ships and passengers will be 135 and 475,000, respectively. In 2015, this number will go up to 145 cruise ships and 500,000 passengers.