UAE: Workers Must Vacate Within 30 Days

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UAE: Workers Must Vacate Within 30 Days

The UAE Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation has told employees living in accommodation provided by their employers to vacate it within 30 days after their service is finished, according to reports in Emirates 24|7.

An HR executive with a leading UAE company, however, told Emirates 24|7 that employees can be given grace period in certain cases: “One of our long-time employees is moving back to his home country and requested an extension in company accommodation. We did give him a 15-day grace period to allow him to complete all his formalities. Though the Labour Law specifies the regulations, the extension to be given depends on the relationship between the employer and employee,” the executive added.

In April 2016, Emirates 24|7 reported that housing allowance are not part of the basic wage and must be agreed upon separately. The UAE Labour Law does differentiate between the definitions of basic wage and total wage. The former is an employee’s wage excluding all allowances of whatever nature and is specified in the labour contract, while total wage is an employee’s wage inclusive of all allowances provided such as accommodation and travel allowances.

“Hence, according to UAE Labour Law, allowances such as flights, housing, transportation and telephone are not part of the basic wage and must be agreed upon separately,” Ahmed Odeh, Legal Consultant, MIO Law Firm, told Emirates 24|7.

Housing allowance can be distributed in one of two ways: cash/cheque in advance or employer undertaking to secure housing on behalf of the employee.

Moving Abroad Checklist

Initial Considerations

Will your partner be travelling with you?

If so, what will they be giving up in your present home and will they be able to continue with their career in your new home? You will need to check whether a separate visa is required for your partner to work or if your visa gives that right. If they are unable to work you will need to decide on the effect on your finances and what alternatives are available to give a fulfilling life (home business, training, voluntary work).

Are you taking family with you?

Moving with family raises many exciting opportunities, but also can create challenges. The HSBC Expat Explorer survey indicates that expat kids can take six months to settle in to their new country (see article). Getting young or even older children to prepare to move and leave their friends and family behind can be a challenge and should be thought through.

The options for education is another area that needs to be thought through.

Moving your child to a new country with a different education system can be a great opportunity to broaden their experience, but if they are close to key exams the timing can make this inadvisable. If you do take your family with you, it is important to decide between joining the local school system or choosing an international school.

Where will you be living?

Whether you will be living in a house or apartment, furnished or unfurnished, these decisions will affect what you need to take with you. The time you are planning to live overseas will also affect whether you should leave your property at home empty, rent it out or sell it. See the article Sell, Store or Ship.