At a street in Satwa, Dubai. EXPAT MEDIA

Court cases have been filed against 330 people caught working while on visit visa in Dubai, Dubai’s Attorney General revealed. Attorney General Essam Issa Al Humaidan said the cases were among 2,621 minor crime cases recorded last year amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Under UAE laws, it is illegal for visit visa or tourist visa holders to work in the UAE without a valid work permit issued by the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) or any free zone authority. “The foreigner who obtains a visit visa may not work anywhere in the country with or without pay or for his own,” the law states. Violators face deportation, while companies that hire them will be subject to a fine of Dh50,000. To be employed in the UAE, individuals must first obtain a work permit from MOHRE or any relevant free zones in the UAE. A UAE residence visa will then be issued. Meanwhile, Dubai Attorney General Al Humaidan said that Dubai courts also handed 653 cases of illegal residents in the country in 2020. The court also looked into 1,165 case of bounced cheques, 305 cases of consuming alcohol and 177 of drink-driving, the Attorney General said. “As a direct result of Covid-19 closures and their repercussions, the number of cases heard by the court dropped from 6,191 in 2019, to 2,621 involving 10,965 defendants in 2020,” he said. ICA/Expat Media
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