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I've worked for a company in Media City for the past 4 months. I've been in Dubai just as long. I am still on a visit visa.

I was told I would receive my Residence visa after the first three months of the trial period. This didn't happen - and i've now been asked to leave the company - which is also closing their office in Dubai. Their headoffice is in Beirut - though the "mother company" is a very large well know international advertising agency - who's actually been handling all my paperwork.

My situation is now this: I have been told I can stay until end of october - working and getting paid - still on the visit visa (highly illigal is it not?) until I find a new job. Or they will pay the ticket back home. It's a "nice" gesture, but what is my legal situation really?

Since you are on extended visit visa which is illegal to be used for working, I think there's not much you can do legally. I'd say use the time to apply new job (if you still want to stay in Dubai).

It is illegal to work with a visit visa, but all the companies do it, and nothing happens, no one checks!!

Get them to offer you a job in Beirut instead! You'll have much more fun...

hamadl wrote:It is illegal to work with a visit visa, but all the companies do it, and nothing happens, no one checks!!

They check in small-time offices, workshops, cafeterias and labour camps. Not really in high-end places.

don't be too sure. i worked in a fairly large company (800 employees), last year alone we had 2 spot inspections on our premises, as well as about a dozen on some of the site we were operating. during one of the inspections they found a few small irregularities (as you would expect to find with 800 employee) - they then sent in a labour audit team who were there for a week!

My previous employer (well known store in Dubai, not free zone) had been inspected 3 years ago. There was no visit visa involved but we (10% out of 300 staffs) had to hide even WITH legal residence visa.

Earlier, I heard we were out of visa quotas so the 10% of us (mostly the corporate management staffs) had the residence visas sponsored by the holding company (a Jebel Ali FZ company).

Apparently ones holding JAFZ visa can't work outside the zone permanently. That's the reason we had to "run away" when inspection come.

The good thing was that I could enter JAFZ anytime

xty wrote:The good thing was that I could enter JAFZ anytime

It only takes a decent car to enter JAFZA without being stopped.

I had to go there a bunch of times, and never been stopped even with my crappy old Merc (although my buddy's Corolla got stopped). It is true that JAFZA visa holders cannot work outside the zone.