As of January 2016, there will be no 6 month employment ban if services are terminated by mutual agreement between the employer and employee and certain other set conditions are met. If you are not familiar with this new amendment, this change stems from the common case where expats find themselves banned from working in the UAE if they are terminated from their expat position. With this new amendment in place, the risk of expatriate workers being placed under a labor ban are significantly reduced, provided they have worked with their employer for at least 6 months and their employment contract was lawfully terminated. Here are some things you need to know to make sure you don’t fall under the labor ban:

Make sure your job matches your designation 

A visa should state an occupation that is at minimum close to the work being performed. If the work is entirely difference to the designation, this could result in an employment ban once the employee resigns. The new amendment did allow for employees to switch jobs during January 2016 without the possibility of the ban. If you missed that deadline you will want to make sure you have your documents in order before resigning from your current position.

Unlimited Contract

Issuing of new work permits include new visas granted to employees who are employed on an unlimited contract that follow specific guidelines. Find those specifics here.

Know your notice period

Whether your contract states a termination notice of 30 days or 1 day, as long as you complete your notice period in your transition to a new job you should be able to avoid the labor ban. This is especially important regarding the amendment guideline that “termination should be mutual between employee and employer”. Make sure you know your notice period before trying to transition.

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Sources:

http://www.emirates247.com/news/emirates/six-month-uae-work-ban-how-expats-can-find-out-if-it-s-imposed-on-them-2016-02-07-1.620036

http://www.thenational.ae/business/personal-finance/uae-labour-law-revisions-mean-employment-bans-are-no-longer-as-common

http://www.emirates247.com/news/emirates/new-uae-labour-law-how-to-avoid-6-month-ban-2016-02-02-1.619518