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

Among the major highlights from the new UAE visa policies include a 6 months temporary visa for job-seekers in the country. This UAE 6-month visa is catered to job applicants who have overstayed their current visa but still wish to work in the country.

Also Read: UAE Labour: Working Hours, Leaves and Vacations

This is surely a positive news especially to a lot of expats who are seeking opportunities while in the UAE. Below is a post from the UAE Cabinet official website about the said changes on creating a temporary work visa valid for 6 months for those overstaying in the country but still want to look for a job:

In the same context, the Cabinet adopted a decision to grant people overstaying their visa a chance to leave the country voluntarily without a “no entry” passport stamp. A new 6-month visa will be introduced for job seekers who overstayed their visa but wish to work in the country. The temporary visa enhances the UAE’s position as a land of opportunities and a destination for talents and professionals.

Source: UAECabinet

6 months visa for job seekers

UAE 6-Month Visa Introduced for Job Seekers

Recently new changes on UAE visa rules were announced and it had positive feedback from a lot of UAE residents and expats. These sweeping changes to policies are much welcomed as it’s making life for residents, families, students, job-seekers much easier.

News Blessing for Expats

This is considered a blessing for us many expats because of the current policies that are limiting us to look for better opportunities. Employees who lose their jobs or those whose visas are cancelled are usually given a grace period of 30 days before changing their visa status by looking for another job or exit and re-enter the UAE with another type of visa.

Many expats and OFWs also come to Dubai on a tourist visa/visit visa usually for 1-2 months and try to look for a job within the given time-frame.

A common situation is that some employers tend to hire applicants only if they have a few weeks/days left from their current visa, and in turn, it is an opportunity for them to take advantage of the situation and offer a lesser salary to the desperate applicant. These applicants whose visas are about to expire, will then worry about the number of days left for them to legally stay in the UAE, and would most likely accept whatever job offer is available just to stay in the country.

What the 6 months visa means for Expats

This 6-months visa is really a welcome news for plenty of us expats because it allows us more time to look for a job that would not suit only our qualifications, but also our financial needs. We won’t be immediately forced to accept a job nor will we be compromised because there’s more time for us to find opportunities. We can place more value on ourselves based on our skills and capabilities as this also allows us to have more time to decide before signing the contract.

This makes us happier and more satisfied employees which will also reflect in our work environment. In effect, we will be more productive in our work and would also reap benefits for our employers.

In another perspective, this also serves as a reminder for us to please make sure we also not take advantage of the situation. This is definitely a great news for us, so let’s not abuse this new policy.

Video: 6 Months Temporary Visa Job Seeker Visa in UAE

Check out the clip below for a summary of this visa valid for six months:

Note: As of the moment, we don’t have a definite date on when this temporary 6-months visa will be implemented. We’ve heard from other news sources that it MIGHT be during the 4th Quarter of 2018, but please be advised that this is not final. We will keep you posted once we hear news or updates when this will be finalized. We thank the UAE government for this major change.

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