The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratistion (MOHRE) have started making necessary arrangements that will enable workers to sign job offers back home. Work visas will be issued via Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation service centres to issue entry work visas.

This came following a presentation Saqr Ghobash Saeed Ghobash, Minister of Human Resources and Emiratisation, that reviewed mechanisms of the offshore service centres in issuing work visas.

The meeting was held recently at the MOHRE in Abu Dhabi.

Ghobash suggested that establishing such centres guarantees offering quality services to customers.

“Such cooperation and partnership between both ministries ensures a transparent contractual relation between employers and workers which prevents any attempt to replace any job offers upon the arrival of the worker to the UAE, especially since the first measures required to recruit workers from abroad shall be supervised by the UAE government through the Foreign Affairs and international cooperation Ministry,” Ghobash said.

“The fulfillment of the initial contractual agreements within such service centers, according to the newly launched decrees which began earlier this year, has a beneficial outcome on the employers as well, especially since informing the workers about their job offers and its annexes then ensuring getting a signature on the job offer to complete the transaction, falls under the direct responsibility of the employer.”

Visa issuing centres

Ahmed Saeed Al Dhahiri, Assistant Undersecretary for Consular Affairs at the Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Ministry, said: The ministry shall open visa issuing centers according to a plan based on three phases

First Phase

The first phase includes the opening of four centers in

• Sri Lanka
• Indonesia
• Kenya
• Bangladesh

Second Phase

“The second phase, which will be completed this year, will include the opening of 10 other centers, including

four centers in India and the other in

• Egypt
• Tunisia
• Lebanon
• Senegal
• Nigeria

Third Phase

The third phase shall commence during the current and the next year by opening

• Three other centers in India
• Three in Pakistan
• Two others in Egypt and Nigeria

Visa issuing centers, Al Dhahiri points out, shall provide administrative services associated with the issuance of entry permits to the UAE, which includes services such as

• Validating entry documents
• Medical examinations
• Fingerprinting

“Such centers has a major milestone effect, it will reduce fraud or identity theft cases by verifying the attendee via the passport, in addition to reducing the spread of infectious diseases into the UAE, avoid deportation and medical quarantine costs post the medical examinations which could be done at these centers, also prevent the arrival of foreigners that had already been sentenced to deportation and finally confirm the identity of the person arriving to the UAE through a clear high-quality facial image and an eye-scan done at the centre”.