Tricks of the trade in work visas :: KT

Quoting the editorial:

One 'trick' that has come in handy for these lawless elements has been highlighted in the Press. Agents of a company would hire a group of labourers, and once they arrive in the country, the company would transfer them to anywhere they wanted within the UAE, and after opening a file against the labourers inform the authorities that the labourers had absconded, that the company had no knowledge of their whereabouts. This is just one 'trick' from the bag of dirty tricks that these illegal traders in visas have adopted. There are others with the help of which they commit a crime and then try to absolve themselves of blame, and escape legal responsibility.

The question is, how long would these lawless elements in the country's fabric be given a free run, to carry on with their illegal acts? We think there's a crying need for stricter measures, and punishments to deter the lot.

Work visas are scarce and have a market value. A company can get more visas from the Ministry of Labour by transferring workers to another part of the UAE, perhaps to another company and then - with the worker unawares - report that the worker has absconded and cannot be located. If it is the worker who holds the visa, and the law allowed workers to change employers, then the value of the visa would be rebound to the worker in the former of higher wages as workers sold themselves to the highest bidder.

Note that all companies in UAE have at least 50 percent Emirati ownership.