UAE: Don’t work on visit visas, travel agents warn as crackdown intensifies

Dubai authorities have ramped up efforts to crack down on individuals working on visit visas in the emirate, travel agents claimed. This has led to a noticeable reduction in the number of people overstaying in the country, according to them.

“We’ve heard of multiple company premises being inspected recently,” claimed Safeer Mohammed, general manager of Smart Travels. “Inspection teams have also visited our office tower several times over the past few months. While working on a visit visa has always been illegal, authorities are now ensuring that everyone is strictly following the rules.”

This follows the end of a generous amnesty scheme, one of the country's most lenient. Under this scheme, those overstaying their visas could either legalise their status or leave without facing penalties.

The programme, which ran from September to December 2024, helped thousands resolve their visa issues. Following the end of the visa amnesty, more than 6,000 violators were arrested during inspection campaigns in January, a top official revealed. 

Safeer highlighted that these measures have played a key role in reducing the number of visit visa overstayers by more than half. “Since January, we’ve seen the number of people overstaying their visit visas reduced to less than 10 per cent,” he said. 

Bharat Aidasani of Pluto Travels emphasised that it has always been illegal to work on a visit visa in the UAE. “We strictly advise our customers not to do so,” he said. “Since the end of the amnesty, inspections have become more frequent, and the penalties are severe, with deportation being the consequence for anyone caught working on a visit visa.”

In August of last year, the UAE amended its labour law to impose hefty fines ranging from Dh100,000 to Dh1 million on companies that employ workers without the proper permits or bring them into the country without securing jobs for them.

Noushad Hassan from Alhind Travels Business Centre also shared that several companies have been inspected since the amnesty ended. “We’ve heard of several companies being checked to ensure no one on a visit visa is working there,” he said.

“It is a great way to ensure that rules are being followed. We have also seen a steady decrease in the number of people overstaying their visit visa so it is really having a positive impact," Noushad added.

He added that sometimes workers would find themselves stranded after overstaying their visit visas. “They would contact us asking for a way to help them go back home,” he said. The companies would wash off their hands and the workers, many of whom are illiterate, would not even have the money to purchase a ticket back home, let alone clear their overstay fines.

Recently, rules were amended to stipulate that people coming to the UAE on a tourist visa must have confirmed air tickets, hotel reservations and a certain amount of money in cash or in their bank accounts. "With such new rules and increased inspections, it will be harder for such unscrupulous companies to take undue advantage of workers," he said.

(Source:Khaleejtimes)