MOHRE grants permits to men sponsored by their families to work in private sector

The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) has announced it has started issuing work permits for establishments wishing to recruit male workers sponsored by their families.

The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) has announced it has started issuing work permits for establishments wishing to recruit male workers sponsored by their families.

This comes in implementation of a resolution issued recently by HE Nasser Bin Thani Al Hamli, Minister of Human Resources and Emiratisation, regarding conditions and regulations of granting internal work permits. Under the resolution, more men sponsored by their families are allowed to work in the private sector once they have met the required conditions for work inside the UAE. Previously, such work permits were exclusively issued to women.

HE Saif Ahmed Al Suwaidi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation for Human Resources Affairs, said the resolution came as part of a program aimed at enhancing the stability of families in the UAE and helping them increase their monthly income by enabling their members to work in the private sector.

Granting men and women sponsored by their families permits to work in the private sector would enable private sector establishments to meet their recruitment demands from the UAE residents and would consequently reduce employers’ operational costs, particularly under the recent Cabinet resolution, which reduced the work permit fees for those sponsored by their families, he said.

The new fee for a two-year work permit for a skilled or unskilled worker is AED300 for all categories of private sector establishments under the ministry's group classification. Previously, the fee was in the range of AED300 and AED5,000 depending on the category of the establishment and the skill-level of workers.

The costs of issuing and approving work permits for those sponsored by their families are to be borne by establishments as recruitment expenses should by no means be paid by workers or deducted from their pay, he said, adding that this applies to the other types of work permits.

Al Suwaidi explained that the procedures for issuing work permits for men sponsored by their families are the same procedures for issuing such type of permits that are not subject to the establishment’s quota. An establishment can apply for such permits directly based on the ministry’s keenness on easing procedures for establishments interested in recruiting those sponsored by their families, he said.

The recruitment of men sponsored by their families for work in the private sector would contribute to harnessing the energies of the members of the society, thereby increasing the productivity of the UAE labor market and improving its competitiveness, he said.

The MOHRE provides several channels for those sponsored by their families to apply for work and other permits. These include TAS’HEEL service centers and the ministry’s smart app available in Google’s Play Store and App Store. Establishments participating in the TAS’HEEL system can apply for work permits automatically.