UAE Cancelled Visas to Get 6 Months Grace Period

The UAE has announced plans to boost the economy and loosen restrictions on UAE visas. One major announcement is that residents who have lost their jobs will soon be able to stay in the country for up to 6 months (90-180 days). This allows cancelled-visa holders to legally stay in the UAE and gives them plenty of time to search for a new sponsor or get apply for other jobs.

The original grace period for UAE cancelled visas is 30 days. But now it has been extended up to 180 days. During this grace period, the person is allowed to stay in the country until he/she gets a new visa. Usually, expats use this time to process their residency permit – whether they apply for a new employment visa after changing to a new employer, or they Exit the country and come back with another type of visa (like UAE tourist visa).

uae visa grace period extended

Now, authorities in the UAE have between 90 to 180 days from the time that their existing employment visa is stamped with a ‘cancelled’ label.

“We are relaxing the grace period one gets to leave the country after being made redundant. Instead of the previous 30 days, people will have 90 to 180 days to leave the country,” Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of State and Foreign Trade, said in a statement.

Also Read: OPINION: What the 6 Months Visa Means for Job Seekers in UAE

This is great news for residents as this will definitely provide better opportunities for expats to look for a new sponsor or find a new job. The 6 months is ample time for those with cancelled visas to not accept any job offer right away without considering different factors like salary, work expectations and scope of work.

A few years ago, there was a 6-month temporary visa for job-seekers that was implemented, but it was only applicable for certain period. A lot of people were happy with this set-up and wondered when it will take effect permanently.

So this new adjustment that was announced this September 2021 is such welcome news for everyone. After all, the majority of the expats in the UAE are here in order to work. At least, expats will not be obliged to take any opportunity right away with the risk of regretting their decision because of the remaining days on their grace period to get a new visa.

So we thank the UAE for announcing this major grace period reform. Please contact authorities once this grace period is implemented. Take note that this extension has only been announced recently so let us all stay tuned for updates in the coming months.