‘Is it legal to hire a part-time employee?’

I run a small business and want to take on someone for a few hours a week to help out in the office. I have found someone but she already works three days a week for another company. She is under that company’s sponsorship but they are OK with her taking on another part-time job. I checked this with the company.

What should I do to make sure this is fully legal and ensure that the employee is not doing anything wrong? BN, Dubai

The laws in the UAE about part-time employees and people taking on second jobs have become more flexible in recent years. So, it is legal for a person to work for more than one company at the same time, provided both employers are aware of the situation.

For the new employee to be taken on legally, BN’s company will need to meet specific criteria. He will need to check that the proposed employee has a current work permit and obtain a letter of no objection from the existing employer. He will then need to obtain a part-time work permit from the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation or the relevant free zone authority.

‘Can I take paid sick leave during my probation?’

‘Will my bank freeze my account after I quit my job?’

I have been working for a company for one year but my husband is my sponsor. He gave me a letter of no objection, which I passed on to my company. However, they have yet to issue my work permit. Does that make my job illegal? HB, Ras Al Khaimah

A wife who is sponsored by her husband is permitted to work in the UAE. Even if her visa states “housewife – not permitted to work”, she can do so if her husband provides a letter of no objection to the employer.

The company does not have to provide a visa but must instead apply for a work permit, commonly known as a labour card. Physical cards are no longer issued but the employer is obliged to make a proper application for a work permit by following due process.

This involves making an application to the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, usually at a Tas’heel centre. The fee is lower when compared to obtaining a visa for an employee under a company’s sponsorship.

In addition, both parties should sign a contract of employment and the employee should receive a copy of it.

A wife who is sponsored by her husband is permitted to work in the UAE if he provides a letter of no objection to the employer

Keren Bobker

Unless the employer applies for a work permit, an employee will be working illegally and both parties can be subject to a fine. As the work permit is only recorded online, HB should check with the ministry or her local Tas’heel office to see if there is a proper record of her employment.

My visa was cancelled on July 20. Can I stay in the UAE until September 1 without incurring a fine? On what date can I leave the UAE and what happens if I overstay?

If I cannot find another job, I want to go back to the Philippines but there are currently no flights operating to that country. DL, Abu Dhabi

Once an employment visa has been officially cancelled, a person has a 30-day grace period and must exit the UAE before this expires to avoid fines for overstaying illegally.

In this case, DL should leave the UAE on August 19. If someone overstays, either as they have not arranged to leave or a new employment visa is not processed in time, a penalty is payable.

The fine for the first day is Dh125 and then a further Dh25 for each subsequent day. There is also a service fee of Dh100 on exiting the country.

Anyone who significantly exceeds the grace period, for instance by another 30 days or more, could find that they are further penalised and added to an immigration blacklist, which could prevent them from re-entering the UAE at a later date.

As some nationalities cannot travel to their countries now, I understand that immigration is being lenient in certain cases, both in terms of additional time in the UAE and the application of penalties. It is also possible for most former UAE residents to purchase a visitor visa to remain in the country legally. However, the fines for overstaying on a tourist visa are different.

Commercial flights to the Philippines have been suspended due to Covid-19, so travel is extremely difficult. The Philippines Overseas Labour Office, in conjunction with the Philippines Embassy, is operating a number of repatriation flights.

Spaces are limited and preference is given to those who need to return home, such as absconded domestic staff and pregnant women, although other terminated employees can apply. If DL does not secure a new job and visa, he can apply online for a repatriation flight through the Embassy of the Philippines website.

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

Stuck in a job without a pay rise? Here's what to do

Chris Greaves, the managing director of Hays Gulf Region, says those without a pay rise for an extended period must start asking questions – both of themselves and their employer.

“First, are they happy with that or do they want more?” he says. “Job-seeking is a time-consuming, frustrating and long-winded affair so are they prepared to put themselves through that rigmarole? Before they consider that, they must ask their employer what is happening.”

Most employees bring up pay rise queries at their annual performance appraisal and find out what the company has in store for them from a career perspective.

Those with no formal appraisal system, Mr Greaves says, should ask HR or their line manager for an assessment.

“You want to find out how they value your contribution and where your job could go,” he says. “You’ve got to be brave enough to ask some questions and if you don’t like the answers then you have to develop a strategy or change jobs if you are prepared to go through the job-seeking process.”

For those that do reach the salary negotiation with their current employer, Mr Greaves says there is no point in asking for less than 5 per cent.

“However, this can only really have any chance of success if you can identify where you add value to the business (preferably you can put a monetary value on it), or you can point to a sustained contribution above the call of duty or to other achievements you think your employer will value.”

Volvo ES90 Specs

Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)

Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp

Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm

On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region

Price: Exact regional pricing TBA

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ACC 2019: The winners in full

Best Actress Maha Alemi, Sofia

Best Actor Mohamed Dhrif, Weldi

Best Screenplay Meryem Benm’Barek, Sofia

Best Documentary Of Fathers and Sons by Talal Derki

Best Film Yomeddine by Abu Bakr Shawky

Best Director Nadine Labaki, Capernaum

RACE CARD

6.30pm: Handicap (TB) $68,000 (Dirt) 1,600m

7.05pm: Meydan Sprint – Group 2 (TB) $163,000 (Turf) 1,000m

7.40pm: Curlin Stakes – Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (D) 2,200m

8.15pm: UAE Oaks – Group 3 (TB) $125,000 (D) 1,900m

8.50pm: Zabeel Mile – Group 2 (TB) $163,000 (T) 1,600m

9.25pm: Balanchine – Group 2 (TB) $163,000 (T) 1,800m

10pm: Al Shindagha Sprint – Group 3 (TB) $130,000 (D) 1,200m

The specs

Engine: 2-litre 4-cylinder and 3.6-litre 6-cylinder

Power: 220 and 280 horsepower

Torque: 350 and 360Nm

Transmission: eight-speed automatic

Price: from Dh136,521 VAT and Dh166,464 VAT

On sale: now

F1 The Movie

Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Rating: 4/5

The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo

Power: 268hp at 5,600rpm

Torque: 380Nm at 4,800rpm

Transmission: CVT auto

Fuel consumption: 9.5L/100km

On sale: now

Price: from Dh195,000

The specs

Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 640hp
Torque: 760nm
On sale: 2026
Price: Not announced yet

Specs

Engine: 51.5kW electric motor

Range: 400km

Power: 134bhp

Torque: 175Nm

Price: From Dh98,800

Available: Now

Conflict, drought, famine

Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.

Band Aid

Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.

Tenet

Director: Christopher Nolan

Stars: John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Dimple Kapadia, Michael Caine, Kenneth Branagh

Rating: 5/5