The United Arab Emirates provides a decision on gaining residency and a work permit.
A maid from my own country will be coming to the United Arab Emirates to work for me. In the meanwhile, she will be staying with me and my family while I work to obtain a maid visa for her. She is traveling here on a visit visa. Can she take on responsibilities at home while this transitional time is going on? What are the steps that need to be taken in order to obtain a maid visa for her?
For the purpose of responding to your inquiries, the provisions of Federal Decree Law No. 29 of 2021 Regarding Entry and Residence of Foreigners and Federal Decree Law No. 9 of 2022 Concerning Domestic Workers are applicable to your situation because you wish to hire a maid to perform domestic labor for your household.
A maid who does not have a valid work permit
It is against the law in the United Arab Emirates to hire a maid who does not possess a valid work permit and a UAE resident visa. According to Article 17 (3) (a) of the UAE Domestic Workers Law, any person who engages in the practice of employing a maid without a work permit and a residency visa for the UAE may be subject to a penalty of at least Dh50,000 and up to Dh200,000. These are some of the violations:
"a. provides employment to a domestic worker without obtaining a work permit for the latter."
Immigration law in the United Arab Emirates
As an additional consequence, the penalty may also include expulsion in accordance with the requirements of the United Arab Emirates Immigration Law. According to Article 25(1) and (7) of the Immigration Law, which states, "(1) There shall be punishment with a fine of Dh50,000 to anyone who employs, harbors, or puts the alien in violation of the provisions of this Decree-Law, and the penalty shall be imprisonment and a fine of Dh50,000 in case of recidivism." This is in accordance with the provisions of the law when it comes to the employment, harboring, and placement of aliens.
In every instance, the court is required to issue an order for the deportation of the alien who has violated the law, and it is also required to issue an order for the deportation of the alien who has hired or harbored the individual in question upon his subsequent reoffending.
According to the rule of the legislation that was discussed earlier, you are not permitted to immediately hire your potential maid once you have brought her from your home country on a visit visa.
Instead, you can apply for her work permit and UAE resident visa upon her arrival in the United Arab Emirates on a visit visa. This is in accordance with the terms of the United Arab Emirates Domestic Workers Law as well as the rules and regulations that are currently in place in the UAE regarding the employment of a maid at your residence.
The minimum income requirements, marital status, and the number of rooms in the apartment or villa where a suggested maid would work are conditions that you, as an employer, are needed to meet in order to fulfill your obligations.
In addition, the requirements of the United Arab Emirates Domestic Workers Law place a focus on the recruitment of maids through agencies that are recognized by the government. Article 5 of the United Arab Emirates Domestic Workers Law outlines the requirements that are placed on officially recognized recruitment firms.
Rules of the domestic workers law in the United Arab Emirates
As the person who employs a maid, it is your responsibility to ensure that you comply with the regulations and rules of the UAE Domestic Workers Law when you are working with a maid at your home. It may include but is not limited to providing the maid with the facilities to perform her duties, providing appropriate accommodation, provision of food and means, clothing if required to perform the duties, timely payment of remuneration, incurring costs related to health insurance, be respectful to the maid and the maid should be allowed to retain her official documents. According to Article 11 of the United Arab Emirates Domestic Workers Law, which outlines the responsibilities that an employer or sponsor has toward a domestic worker, this is the standard procedure.
When hiring a maid for your home, you, as the employer, must abide by the rules and regulations of the UAE Domestic Workers Law. It might involve, but is not limited to, giving the maid the tools she needs to carry out her tasks, offering suitable housing, food, and resources, as well as clothing if needed for the job, paying her salary on time, covering the cost of her health insurance, showing her respect, and letting her keep her official documentation. This is in line with the duties that an employer or sponsor has to a domestic worker as outlined in Article 11 of the UAE Domestic Workers Law.
