MrsHaps

yeah sounds straight forward but... my company are not asking for a NOC nor are they giving me a Labour card..... hence my worry regarding working illegally.

They have however got me to sign a contract and are supplying me with medical cover... just no labour card, but they did say that they can not do that, the Gov want me/us/etc to have our own visa and own sponsorship... im of the understanding spouces can no longer work on a spouce visa... you have to have your own.

Eva

This is from the FCO site: updated yesterday.



''We have received official notification from the UAE authorities that new visa regulations which come into effect on 29 July 2008, will affect holders of British citizen passports as follows:

A tourist visa will be issued on arrival at no cost (although this may change in future)
Visa validity will be 30 days. It can be extended to a similar duration which will be a total of 60 days.
The person has to hold a genuine and recognised British passport.
For further information, you should visit the Dubai Naturalisation and Residency Department (English).

If you require an extension you should contact the Immigration Office of the Emirate in which you arrived, in good time before the expiry of the 30-day deadline.

In Abu Dhabi, if you intend to apply for an extension you will be required to have local health insurance for the extra month before the visa extension will be granted.

Other British passport holders (non British citizens) must obtain a visa before travelling to the UAE. Contact the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in London.

Passport validity

Your passport should be valid for at least six months beyond the end of your intended stay.

Eva

I answered your Q in original thread Mrs Haps.

I recall you saying it was a large International Company.......do they have pro?Are you a UK passport holder?

Blue Cat

so the only change is you can't do a visa run but instead can extend your visa at immigration.

Mrs H, I think they are spinning you are a yarn, there are hundreds of women here working who are on their husbands visas. What does your husbands company say about the situation? they might be able to advise.

MrsHaps

You did my darl, thanks very much! Being told different from hubby's company thats all!

I do have a UK passport, fully britished up! Ive contact them again today as i am supposed to start on sunday but havent even had my medical for my visa so i am going to have to take time off already but cant tell hubby's company because the international comp arent giving me labour card etc.

I will get to the bottom of it!

Eva

I can't get my head around this.......an International Company will not provide you with a Labor Card???


For sure there is an option for spouses to either work under OH'S sponsorship(if OH's Contract permits) or Company Sponsorship.

The Employer provides the Labor Card- can't understand why they cannot do it-where do they suggest you get a Labor Card from?

Do they mean they will not provide a Labor Card until your Visa is processed?

Eva

Well just to confuse even more....

From Dubaifaqs.com- updated today:


''Visa rules and regulations can and do change suddenly and without warning. The UAE embassy in your country or the relevant authority in the UAE (DNRD in Dubai) is probably the only source of information you can rely on - even government websites can be slow to update. This page was last updated on 29-Jul-2008 but information here may not be complete or accurate.

How long a visa is valid for is usually given in days. Some sources say months instead of days but be careful - 1 month is not the same as 30 days, 6 months is not the same as 180 days. Some visitors have found this out the hard way when leaving the UAE, getting a fine for overstaying by 2 or 3 days.

29 July 2008 - New visa rules start from today
29 July 2008 - New visa rules apply from 07:30 this morning (as opposed to 01 August as previously stated). Conflicting reports in the press, based on conflicting statements from various officials, has left everyone confused. If you're from one of the 33 free-visa-on-arrival countries, you'll probably have an easier time of it. Bring money for visa fees, patience, and politeness, and assume visa rules will be implemented randomly depending on the mood of the official you're dealing with at the entry point or visa office. Some of the more common visa questions follow (there are no definitive answers yet, just guesses, since even the authorities keep saying different things):

Countries that were previously allowed a visa on arrival (see list below) for free will probably still get that, but it might be 30 days instead of 60 days.
Visa runs might still be allowed, but may be restricted to nationals of the free-visa-on-arrival countries. This conflicts with another report that visa renewals have to be done from the home country. Again, it might be a differentiation depending on nationality. Sponsoring friends and distant relatives is unclear. It may be a variable rule depending on salary, profession, nationality, etc of sponsoring person. Or it may be that only UAE nationals can sponsor friends. Again, conflicting reports seen.
See the UAE visa table for a list of new (and old) visa types.
09 June 2008 - New visa rules from 01 August 2008

MrsHaps

Good morning Eva and BC,

They will not supply a labour card full stop.... hence my concern.... basically i will work there and if they get a visit from immigration i will be told to stay at home... therefore in effect i do not exisit as far as that company are concerned.

I was told it was because of the new laws and that they would have to sponsor me and they dont want to do that. But i was also told there are other emplloyees that do it and it is fine.!?

I have not spoken to hubby's company about it as i know what they are going to say.... i need a labour card! But if the company are not willing to give me one the only other option is not to work for them... but then again how many companies actually do this?!

Hec

Anyone have any idea how long resident visas are taking to process? I did a visa run on the weekend, so have 60 days but my work hasn't started processing my visa yet?

MrsHaps

My hubby had his back within 4 weeks but with the new changes, not a clue... they have held on to mine for almost 2 months waiting for the change to come in! It would be best to contact your company to find out.

Hec

Thanks, the PRO is on leave so I think it might take awhile....

grapefruit

Here's the link - Dubai visa. There's also a UAE visa table with a summary .