Here's a guide to the requirements, fees, and certain conditions that must be met
life and living2 weeks ago
A Filipino domestic worker whose visa says she is a ‘store manager’, and a ‘project manager’ who earns a meagre Dh1,000 a month. Employment irregularities like these have prompted the Philippine labour office in the UAE to impose new contract verification rules.
However, the new policy – which was supposed to take effect on February 1 — had to be put on hold as many Filipinos in the UAE slammed the additional requirements, thinking they were nothing but an inconvenience, another mountain of red tape.
What the expats didn’t know was that the rules were born out of the need to curb illegal employment and activities. In an exclusive interview with Khaleej Times, Labour Attaché John Rio A. Bautista — who heads the MWO mission in Dubai and the Northern Emirates (formerly Philippine Overseas Labour Office or Polo) — explained the cases that pushed them to intervene.
The MWO, previously known as Polo office, had observed several illegal activities in recent times, particularly when it comes to obtaining residence visas.
“Some people pay and purchase visas to work in several places,” he said. “Many of them call it ‘freelancing’. However, this is illegal in the UAE. People who want to freelance must take the legal visa for it.”
Domestic workers, like nannies and housekeepers, cannot apply for the UAE’s freelance visa. In fact, they will have to be hired through a licensed recruitment agency under the latest rules.
ALSO READ:
Despite this policy, the Philippine mission encountered the case of a housemaid who was on a visa of a store manager. “When we see something like this, we have to dig deeper and ask for additional documents,” Bautista said.
Dubai resident Maria Cristina, who is currently looking for a nanny, confirmed that she once had an applicant who claimed that she had her own ‘freelance visa’.
“I was surprised because I couldn’t understand then how she was able to get that kind of visa, when I know that you’ll need to be at a certain skill level to apply for one. You even have to show proof of income,” she said.
“Then I learnt that some ‘buy’ a visa from a company, which would then provide them with an employment contract and a residence visa. However, their work is essentially illegal.”
It is through contract verification — and more stringent measures — that the Philippine mission is eyeing to curb such practices.
Bautista also gave the example of an expat who had sent in a contract verification for the post of project manager but with a salary of Dh1,000. “Again, it is quite obvious that something is not right,” he said. “In this case, we ask for the bank balance or educational certification to make sure that everything is legitimate.”
The labour attache lamented how their office drew flak for doing what they had to do to protect Filipino workers’ welfare. Many critics, who expressed their frustration on social media, had not understood the move and were spreading false information, he said.
“There are messages on social media saying that several additional documents were needed to ensure contract verification,” he said. “However, we would ask for these documents only if there was a discrepancy or we suspected that something was amiss.”
ALSO READ:
Here's a guide to the requirements, fees, and certain conditions that must be met
life and living2 weeks ago
Here are the dont's of visiting these non-Muslim houses of worship in the Emirates
life and living2 weeks ago
Eating out, poor hand hygiene and erratic weather may be among causes, say medics
life and living3 weeks ago
Apart from government centres for Quran memorisation, the Emirates has permitted the opening of private centres by setting in place certain guidelines
life and living1 month ago
This card allows residents of determination to get the services and benefits they are entitled to — from free parking to telecom discounts
life and living1 month ago
This list does not include things that have long been a part of everyday life in the city like getting groceries or food delivered at any hour of the day
life and living1 month ago
The country revamped its domestic workers law in 2022, laying down the rights and duties of housemaids and employers — here's what it says about public holidays
life and living1 month ago
Heading out to party on the weekend? Here are some things you should keep in mind to be safe
life and living1 month ago