I work in Dubai and my employment contract expires in October 2021. I am currently on holiday in my home country. I have applied to move to another European country and hopefully I will receive my visa. What will happen if I do not return to Dubai or inform my current employer? AR, Czech Republic
If an employee goes on annual leave and fails to return, they will be deemed to have absconded. The term “absconder” is usually applied to any employee who fails to turn up for work for seven or more consecutive days, or even 28 non-consecutive days over a period of one year, without informing the employer or without permission.
This is covered in Article 128 of the UAE Labour Law, which states: “Should the non-national worker leave work without a valid cause prior to the end of the contract with definite term, he may not get another employment even with the permission of the employer for a year from the date of abandonment of the work. No employer may knowingly recruit the worker or retain in his service during such period.”
If an employee leaves without giving notice or simply fails to return to work, the employer can apply for an absconding ban.
That will usually be a one-year ban, but in some cases a person can even be blacklisted. The visa will be cancelled at the time of the ban.
My visit visa expired in September last year. Can I apply for a new work visa from a company? I was offered a job but the company will not pay my fine as it is too big. I want to stay in the UAE legally. What can I do? BB, Dubai
If someone has overstayed their visit visa, they are subject to fines. This is Dh200 for the first day and Dh100 for each subsequent day. There is an additional service charge to pay on exiting the country. The fees for overstaying residents are different.
During 2020, the UAE government announced several amnesty programmes for people who overstayed as many were unable to return to their home countries. The last amnesty programme ended on March 31. BB should have benefitted from this initiative, but he is still liable for fines as it seems he did not apply for a visit visa extension.
To establish the exact amount payable, he needs to contact an Amer office, part of the General Directorate for Residency and Foreigner Affairs, and the telephone number for Dubai is 800 5111.
If someone overstays, it is their responsibility to pay the fine and the new employer cannot be expected to cover such a fee
It is the responsibility of a person to follow the UAE's Labour Law and that includes having a valid visa.
If someone overstays, it is their responsibility to pay the fine and the new employer cannot be expected to cover such a fee.
In certain cases, the authorities can reduce overstay fines, but BB will need to submit an application for “removal or reduction of fines” at an Amer office.
There is no guarantee that the amount due will be reduced but a polite request with an explanation and evidence of a new job can assist.
I will soon finish my second two-year employment contract and have told my employer that I plan to return to my home country. The human resources manager said they are willing to renew my contract. However, because I do not want to continue, the company will not pay my costs to travel back home. Is this legal? CH, Sharjah
If someone is on a fixed-term contract and works the full period, their service is considered completed and the employer is liable for repatriation costs. There is no obligation for the person to continue working for an employer even if there is an offer to do so.
In this case, Article 131 of the UAE Labour Law applies and it states: “Expenses for repatriation of an employee to his place of origin or any other place agreed upon by both parties shall be borne by the employer. If the employee after the end of his contract takes up employment somewhere else, repatriation expenses upon termination of his service shall be paid by the last employer subject to the provisions in the preceding clauses, and if the employer has failed to repatriate the employee and has not paid the repatriation expenses, the competent authorities shall do this at the employer’s expense by way of attachment.”
If CH plans to leave the UAE, the employer should pay for his flight to his home country. If the employer is not complying with the law, CH should raise a case as soon as possible with the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation.
Keren Bobker is an independent financial adviser and senior partner with Holborn Assets in Dubai, with more than 25 years’ experience. Contact her at keren@holbornassets.com. Follow her on Twitter at @FinancialUAE
The advice provided in our columns does not constitute legal advice and is provided for information only
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
Retail gloom
Online grocer Ocado revealed retail sales fell 5.7 per cen in its first quarter as customers switched back to pre-pandemic shopping patterns.
It was a tough comparison from a year earlier, when the UK was in lockdown, but on a two-year basis its retail division, a joint venture with Marks&Spencer, rose 31.7 per cent over the quarter.
The group added that a 15 per cent drop in customer basket size offset an 11.6. per cent rise in the number of customer transactions.
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