ABU DHABI: Four private agencies recruiting domestic workers in the UAE have been closed and sealed by the government. The UAE Ministry of Human Resources took this action due to their unauthorized operation. The owners of these recruitment agencies have been fined 50,000 dirhams (INR 11,332.50). Notices from the Department of Economic Development have been posted on their establishments' doors.

The Ministry revealed that these four agencies provided temporary housing for domestic workers they brought in, which led to this action. Workers recruited through these unlicensed agencies have been transferred to approved recruitment agencies. These unauthorized agencies were discovered during an inspection conducted by the Ministry in collaboration with the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs, Port Security and the Department of Economic Development.

The Ministry mentioned that they've found around 45 unlicensed agencies in the country since 2022 and fines have been imposed on them. The Ministry had previously warned all agencies operating without approval and inspections will continue in the upcoming days. Severe actions will be taken against establishments operating without proper authorization.

In Saudi Arabia, expatriates are no longer allowed to bring their fellow citizens as domestic workers. Previously, expatriates could bring workers from their own countries to Saudi Arabia. However, last month, the Saudi government announced the end of this exemption. This change was communicated through the Musaned platform launched by the Ministry of Human Resources for domestic worker recruitment.

With this new law in place, expatriates cannot request visas for domestic workers from their own countries but they can still hire domestic workers from other countries as explained by Musaned.