Visa cancellation
 

I lived in Abu Dhabi for 12 months, from November 08 to November 09, working on a one-year project. That has now finished and I have left. However a friend has now got in touch to warn me that if my employer does not cancel my residence visa and I stay out of the country for 6 months it will self-cancel (knew that and no problems there) but that if I then re-enter the country sometime after that, I will be fined 100dhs/day for every day since it self-cancelled. Is this true? Can anyone provide a link where this is stated? I could then send that link to my ex employer and ask him to cancel my visa. I still have my HSBC UAE bank account but I have taken out all but 2500dhs from it and was planning to close it from the UK soon.

How hard will it be for my employer to cancel my visa, given that I of course have my passport and visa?! I know that none of the other members of staff over the year had theirs cancelled either, and some have been gone for over 6 months now.

Re: Visa cancellation
 

This sounds familiar - in Kuwait and I guess the rest of the middle east it is the same.

What in fact is being cancelled is your residence permit and that needs to be done or you can get problems with returning later on including the overstay fines. In fact if you can show that you have not stayed then you should not be subject to paying fines.

What happened with me in Kuwait was that I submitted my passport and had my permit cancelled and was issued with a residence permit with a months validity. That enables me to go into Kuwait on a visit visa as I wish.

The think in your passport is not a visa or a permit, it is a stamp to say you have been given permission to live there - that is all. So your employer is able to cancel it without the passport. He will be fined if he does not comply with the cancellation process and so it is in his interests to do so.

In Kuwait and I suspect UAE you will not be allowed to enter on a visit visa if you have an existing visa of a different type - the system will catch you.

I think it is worth getting the thing done properly even if at the moment you may not wish to go back to the ME.

Re: Visa cancellation
 

not true, I don't have a link to prove it but it isn't true

Re: Visa cancellation
 

Hey,

You, as an ex-UAE resident, who left the country without cancelling your visa will only face one problem: banned indefinitely from re-entering UAE!

What does this mean? Well, according to UAE’s regulations, no one is allowed to have two entry permits at a time; since you exited UAE without proper cancellation, your name remains in Immigration systems (database) as a residence visa holder and does not get deleted automatically, hence you’re blocked from re-entry or applying for a second new job (entry permit) indefinitely!

Any fines / penalties? Absolutely none from your part however, your employer (sponsor) may face difficulties applying for new visas + may also have to pay additional fees offsetting any irregularities caused due to your unclosed matter.

Solutions? You need to contact your sponsor and ask for proper cancellation of your labor card and residence visa. This may require sending your passport (physically) to UAE for visa cancellation… I would be extra cautious doing so as it’s illegal to send your passports through any mailing means however; I’ve seen people sending their passport with relatives or trusted friends and were successful.

All the best :thumbsup:

Re: Visa cancellation
 

:rolleyes:

Re: Visa cancellation
 

There is a reciprocal to this which got me by surprise. I went to Kuwait to visit and I just got a visit visa at the desk. I was then in a different context invited for an interview - I entered the country on a different type of visa - thus the system had two records against my name. When I joined my company I had great difficulty because my sponsor was trying to get a work permit / residence permit - a third type of visa and it could not cope.

This is completely irrelevant and I apologise.