Picture for illustrative purposes only. ARCHIVE

A Dubai tourist visa holder has cried foul after he claimed he was “misled” into working for a company in the emirate while on tourist visa. The individual, who opted to remain anonymous, said that he was under the impression that the company was in the process of applying for his residence visa. “At the 20-day mark, my tourist visa expired and I had to extend it at my own expense,” he said, adding that he continued to work for the company for a total of 37 days before he eventually resigned. He was partially compensated 20-days worth of salary, and asked a Dubai social media forum what his rights were. “Move on, you might get into more trouble. Ignorance of the law is no excuse,” a social media user advised, echoing similar sentiments in the online forum. So what does the UAE law say about working in the country while under tourist visa, or even a visit visa for that matter? Under UAE laws, it is illegal for visit visa or tourist visa holders to work in the country 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 a fine and 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. The UAE Government has repeated warned tourists and visitors working in the country while under visit visa or tourist visa. “Visitors and tourists should be aware that it is illegal to work in the UAE with or without pay while being on a visit or tourist visa,” according to the UAE Government in its website. “Violators may be liable to fines and deportation,” it added. Hundreds of thousands of people come to the UAE on tourist visa or visit visa, with many using these visa types as a way to find work here. It is not illegal to apply for jobs in the UAE while on tourist visa or visit visa. To make it simpler for people to enter the UAE to find work, the UAE Cabinet introduced a Job Exploration Entry Visa, also known as the jobseeker visa. The new visa for jobseekers is aimed at attracting young talents and skilled professionals to explore job opportunities in the UAE. ICA/Expat Media ALSO READ: All you need to know about UAE jobseeker visa
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