Member News

United Arab Emirates

23 January 2025 – Stricter Eligibility Conditions for Certain Scientists and Specialists Golden Visa Applications

A new rule mandates that individuals applying for this Golden Visa in Dubai, who do not have a government nomination, must have completed at least two years of employment with the same local entity before applying to qualify.

23 January 2025 – Abu Dhabi Employment Regulation Changes Forthcoming

Effective April 1, 2025, new employment regulations will take effect for the Abu Dhabi Global Market Authority (ADGM), including the following immigration-related changes:

• requiring employers to cancel work permits, residency visas and identity cards, and cover any related cost in this procedure; whereas currently regulations make no specific provisions about cancellation procedures or costs;
• removing the two-year pay cap on end-of-service gratuities, requiring the gratuity to be paid regardless of the termination reason, and allowing employers to offer a pension or savings scheme as an alternative to gratuity payments, among other changes to gratuity rules;
• creating a new category (called “Part-Time Employee”) which seeks to simplify the calculation of leave and other entitlements for individuals working reduced hours. The current regulations do not define or address part-time employment.
• creating a new category (called “Remote Employees”). As part of this, remote workers residing and working outside the United Arab Emirates will not require a UAE residency visa or work permit. Current regulations are silent on remote working.

24 January 2025 – Authorities Recommit to Stricter Tenancy Contract Rules for Dependent Residence Permits

After a period of leniency, authorities in Abu Dhabi are once again only accepting Abu Dhabi-registered tenancy contracts when foreign nationals apply for, or seek to renew, an Abu Dhabi-based dependent residence permit. The contract must be submitted via Tawtheeq (an Abu Dhabi government online tenancy contract registration system). Failure to comply with this rule will result in rejection of the dependent resident permit application.

This rule may be waived at the discretion of immigration authorities if the sponsoring individual’s employer (as evidenced by their trade license) is legally registered in the same emirate as that of the associated tenancy contract. Each request is evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

As background, in 2017, the requirement to provide only Abu Dhabi-registered ten-ancy contracts for such applications was first introduced, but authorities subsequently adopted a lenient interpretation of the rule and began accepting tenancy contracts registered in other emirates. This latest change, however, sees authorities recommit-ting to a strict interpretation of the 2017 policy.

QATAR

29 January 2025 - Qatar Digital Identity App Simplifies Entry and Exit at Hamad Airport

The Ministry of Interior has announced that Qatari nationals and residents of Qatar can now use the Qatar Digital Identity app for entry and exit through the E-Gate at Hamad International Airport. Launched in 2024, the QDI app allows Qatari nationals and resi-dents of Qatar to securely access digital copies of their documents, including pass-ports, identity documents, and driving licenses.

Previously, individuals used their physical passports or Qatari identity documents to enter and exit Qatar. However, it is still advisable to carry both, as airport authorities may still request them.

04 February 2025 – Education Status Now Needed for Dependent Family Entry Visa Applications

Dependent Family Entry Visa applicants must now register the education status of children age six to 18 with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MOEHE). Previously, this requirement applied only to renewal applications for Dependent Family Residence Permits for children enrolled in schools in Qatar or abroad. Practically speaking, this means that Dependent Family Entry Visa applicants must now provide the education status of their children before the dependents will be allowed to enter the country. The registration can be done via the MOEHE’s online platform; however, based on recent experience, an in-person appearance of the sponsor (typically, the parent) may be required.

SAUDI ARABIA

30 January 2025 - Stricter Exit Visa Rules Implemented for Resident Permits

Holders of a resident permit who are applying for an exit visa must now have at least 30 days of validity on their resident permit; whereas previously such foreign nationals could apply for an exit visa up until the last day of their resident permit. As a result of this change, resident permit holders whose resident permit has a remaining validity period of less than 30 days must first renew their resident permit before they can apply for an exit visa. This new rule only applies to standard resident permits, as premium resident permits are not subject to any exit visa requirement. As a further change, if the resident permit’s validity is between 30 and 60 days, the final exit visa will be issued for the remaining validity period of the resident permit. If the resident permit’s validity is 60 days or more, a final exit visa with a duration of 60 days will be issued. Previously, companies could issue a final exit visa for employees up until the resident permit’s last day of validity and were issued with a validity period of 60 days regardless the remaining validity period of the resident permit. In certain cases, these changes mean that foreign nationals will have to depart the country more quickly than was previously the case and, in all cases, foreign nationals will have to depart prior to the expiry date of their resident permit. This reform seeks to avoid the previous situation where employees remained in the country without a renewed work permit.

KUWAIT

16 January 2025 - E-Visa Issuance Resumed 

E-visa issuance has resumed following upgrades to the e-visa platform, which is now back online.

10 February 2025 - Mandatory Biometric Fingerprinting for Citizens, Residents and GCC Nationals

Foreign nationals in Kuwait who did not complete the mandatory biometric fingerprinting requirement by December 30, 2024, will now be subject to significant restrictions until they satisfy the fingerprint requirement, including not being allowed to enter or leave Kuwait, or be allowed to renew residency authorizations, change employers, or conduct banking transactions. Foreign nationals can use the Sahel app to schedule their biometric fingerprinting appointment at a center set up by the Ministry of Interior.

IRAQ

10 February 2025 - New Digital Social Security Platform Launched

Iraq’s Directorate of Retirement and Social Security for Workers has launched the “Daman” digital platform designed to provide social security services for individuals including employers, business owners, and private-sector workers covered by the country’s Labor Retirement and Social Security Law.

Key features include staff registration and deregistration (Iraqi and foreign employ-ees), annual report submissions and monthly contribution payments, clearance requests, business contract registrations, project information updates, and digital ser-vices for self-employed and retired individuals, among other services. Previously, these processes were conducted manually.

Despite this digitalization development, social security registration for newly established entities must still occur in person at a social security office.

ABOUT FRAGOMEN

Fragomen is a leading firm dedicated to immigration services worldwide. The firm has nearly 5,500 professionals and staff in 62 offices located in the Americas, Asia Pacific and EMEA. Overall, Fragomen offers support in more than 170 countries.

We are structured to support all aspects of global immigration, including strategic planning, efficiency, quality management, compliance, government relations, reporting, and case management and processing. These capabilities allow us to represent a broad range of companies, organizations and individuals, working in partnership with clients to facilitate the transfer of employees worldwide.

Our Middle East and North Africa (MENA) practice also provides corporate services, including social security assistance, end-to-end corporate setup, corporate secretarial services, corporate amendments, restructuring activities and more. Our corporate services and immigration professionals have extensive experience working with multinational businesses, conglomerates, local employers, start-ups and individual investors. We have a deep understanding of the MENA region and maintain strong professional relationships with relevant authorities.

To learn more about how we can assist you, please visit our website at www.fragomen.com or contact us at [email protected].