Will have to pay hefty fines of up to 2 crore for violations; important notice for expats, UAE amends labour law

DUBAI: The UAE government has issued a warning to employers in the UAE who hire foreigners arriving in the country without legal permits. The warning comes in the wake of an amendment made to the UAE labour law last week. According to legal experts, employers who bring in foreigners without proper permits and employ them in the UAE will be fined between 100,000 and 1 million dirhams.

"Earlier, employers who hired workers without a work visa were fined between 50,000 to 200,000 dirhams. However, with the new amendment, the government has increased the fine to up to 1 million dirhams. The government introduced this new amendment to protect labour laws," say legal experts.

According to reports, some employers hire visit visa holders for work by promising them residency and work permits after their tourist permits expire. However, employers who hire workers in this manner often fail to provide them with their rightful wages. Moreover, some employers dismiss employees once their visit visa expires. The labour department hopes that the new amendment will help eradicate such practices."