UAE Ministry does away with exempted categories - Gulf News

Quoting in full:

By A Staff Reporter 01-05-2004

Workers to be allowed to jump from private to public sectors

Cabinet Decision No. 30 of 2001 lists the job categories in which the transfer of visas is permitted. The job classification is included in the guide attached to the executive regulations governing sponsorship transfer.

Nine categories are exempt from the six-month ban when sponsorship is transferred or changed.

Husband's sponsorship

The only condition is that those who wish to transfer must have worked for their first sponsor for at least a year and that sponsor has issued a no objection certificate. The ban has been employed like a revolving gate.

The new rule adopted by the interior ministry eliminated the exemptions given to certain job categories, except those transferring from the private to the government sector.

Now only those on their husband's sponsorship or who are transferring from the government to the private sector can transfer their sponsorship without incurring the ban as can those holding masters or doctorate degrees.

Upon the implementation of the new rules, the exemptions for doctors, engineers, accountants, journalists, translators and others with university degrees who were previously allowed to transfer sponsorships without the six-month ban were effectively scrapped.

NOTE the date. Are these the current exemptions? I don't know.