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UAE announces MAJOR work and residency visa changes; waiting times slashed to just 5 days, get Emirates ID in simple steps, renew contracts with ease

UAE announces major improvements to the way people apply for work and residency visas by introducing the Work Bundle across entire country

UAE

The UAE has announced major changes to the way businesses and individuals can apply for residency permits, work visas, Emirates ID and many more essential documents in the country.

The introduction of the second phase of the UAE Work Bundle is applicable across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and the entire country and slashes waiting times, cuts bureaucracy, speeds up document processing and simplifies many essential activities in the country.

Services include renewing a worker’s employment contract, Emirates ID, residency, and medical examination services, as well as cancelling a worker’s employment contract, work permit, and residency.

The Bundle offers users an array of benefits, cutting the number of platforms offering services to users from five platforms to a single unified platform, and simplifying the procedure by replacing the eight required services with an exceptional experience on one unified platform.

The necessary steps are also reduced from 15 steps requiring 16 documents to five steps needing only five documents.

It also reduces the number of visits customers are required to make to service centres from seven to just two, significantly decreasing the processing time from 30 business days to just five.

Among the activities that can be undertaken with the Work Bundle are:

Hiring a new employee in a company:

  • Issuing a new work permit
  • Requesting a status adjustment Issuing a visa
  • Issuing an employment contract
  • Issuing Emirates ID and residency
  • Medical examination services

Renewing work contracts:

  • Renewing a worker’s employment contract
  • Renewing Emirates ID and residency
  • Medical examination services

Cancelling workers’ employment

  • Cancelling work permit
  • Cancelling residency

Work in the UAE

The UAE Government has announced the launch of the second phase of the Work Bundle, expanded to include all emirates through the digital Work in UAE platform.

It provides a range of services enabling private-sector companies, individuals, and investors to complete employment and residency procedures using a unified, integrated platform that brings all relevant entities together.

The initiative is in line with the UAE Government’s Zero Government Bureaucracy Programme, and its strategy to design and deliver services that enhance user experience, improve government efficiency and boost the UAE’s competitiveness and appeal as a prime global destination for living and working.

The initiative is in line with the UAE Government’s Zero Government Bureaucracy Programme, and its strategy to design and deliver services that enhance user experience, improve government efficiency and boost the UAE’s competitiveness and appeal as a prime global destination for living and working.

The announcement follows a collaboration between the entities involved in designing and developing phase two of the Work Bundle, namely:

  • Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE)
  • Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship, Customs and Port Security
  • Emirates Health Services (EHS)
  • Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA)
  • Department of Health – Abu Dhabi

The unified Work Bundle platform aims to offer an easier experience for various segments of the community, including individuals and business owners, to ensure the UAE offers the fastest and most efficient services.

The platform offers the principle of requesting data only once, reducing procedures and requirements, and ensuring proactivity in service delivery.

The Bundle reinforces an approach that avoids duplication of procedures and requirements related to service provision, prioritises integration in procedures, and employs advanced technology in the digital design of customer-centric services.

UAE Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE)
UAE Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE)

The Work Bundle in the UAE is a continuation of the success achieved by the Work Bundle in Dubai, which was launched in March, and provides a range of services related to living and working in the UAE, including: services for onboarding new employees, such as issuing a new work permit, requesting a status adjustment, issuing a visa and employment contract, Emirates ID, residency, and medical examination services.

The new initiative also streamlines procedures and reduce the effort and time required for customers. Its impact includes eliminating 25 million procedural steps, 12 million visits, and 62 million working days.

Mohamed bin Taliah, Chief of Government Services of the UAE Government, said: “Completing the launch of the Work Bundle expands the base of beneficiaries to include all companies operating in the UAE.

“It is a culmination of the significant efforts of teams across various federal and local entities, who, over the past few months, have been working to develop the Bundle, a project that reflects the importance of simplifying procedures and requirements to save time and effort for users, in line with the UAE’s Zero Government Bureaucracy Programme.”

He added: “The initiative emphasises the importance of cooperation and integration between federal and local entities, underlining the positive impact this cooperation has on efforts to offer better and faster user experiences.

“This step strengthens the UAE Government’s leadership in delivering exceptional government services and providing an attractive business environment for companies of all sizes.”

UAE work bundle MOHRE

Khalil Al Khoori, Undersecretary for Human Resources Affairs at MoHRE, emphasised the Ministry’s commitment to working closely with the entities participating in the Work Bundle initiative to provide proactive and integrated digital services, accessible anytime and from anywhere, using advanced electronic approaches.

He said: “This effort leverages government enablers, in line with the UAE Government’s vision and the objectives of the UAE Strategy for Government Services 2021-2025 and the ‘We the UAE 2031’ vision, which aims for the country to be the best in the world in terms of government services, ranking at the top of trust and efficiency indicators.

“The importance of the Work Bundle lies in its pivotal role in developing government efficiency, establishing advanced approaches to create a unified platform bringing all participating entities together”.

“This facilitates data exchange, automates services and government procedures, simplifies processes, and reduces time and effort, cementing the UAE’s leadership as an advanced model in government work focused on achieving happiness for people and enhancing quality of life.

“The Bundle offers a unified and consistent government experience, enabling users to benefit from a set of added value features and characteristics.

“It adopts a unified, secure, and reliable payment mechanism, ensuring speed, efficiency, and quality of services. This is a significant step towards advancing the design and delivery of government services to meet future demand and support the stability, sustainability, and balance of the UAE labour market.”

Major General Suhail Saeed Al Khaili, Director General of the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs, and Port Security, affirmed the importance of the Work Bundle in ensuring governance in the UAE labour market and meeting global standards for regulating labour relations.

He said: “The Bundle develops contractual relations between all parties involved, protecting everyone’s rights and enhancing the UAE’s competitiveness on global indicators.

“It also boosts the competitiveness of the UAE labour market by attracting capital, entrepreneurs, experts, and creative talents.

“With the launch of phase two of the Work Bundle, we are entering a new stage of providing comprehensive proactive services to customers.

“This follows the success of the first phase, which included services for company workers. These services are perfectly aligned with the UAE’s Zero Government Bureaucracy Programme, as the Work Bundle platform provides services through a unified portal, with simple, streamlined procedures, which saves time and effort, reducing the number of visits needed to complete transactions by 80 per cent.”

Al Khaili added that: “the Authority is committed to providing all necessary support and cooperation to ensure the platform achieves its strategic goals, improving quality of life for the community and promoting happiness among users, in line with the principles of the UAE Government Charter for Future Services (the UAE Promise), the UAE Strategy for Government Services 2021-2025, the ‘We the UAE 2031’ vision, and the recently launched Zero Government Bureaucracy Programme.”

Eng. Majed Sultan Al Mesmar, Director General of TDRA, said: “As an entity entrusted with enabling the UAE’s digital transformation, we are pleased to witness yet another digital milestone in our journey to shape the future.

“The Work Bundle unified platform, which is now rolling out its second and broader phase, reflects the level of integration and cohesion in the UAE Government, which operates as one unit centred on the customer, in line with the directives of our wise leadership and the ‘We the UAE 2031’ vision.”

“The Work Bundle embodies concepts of proactivity, comprehensiveness, requesting data only once, and in line with the Zero Government Bureaucracy Programme.

“It benefits from a range of effective digital enablers, including interconnected government services, digital identity, and digital wallet solutions, among others.

“Every accomplishment in the digital transformation journey lays the foundations for subsequent advancements. With that in mind, we look forward to the upcoming stages, relying on our accumulated experiences and the high level of cooperation and partnership with all government entities.”

UAE

Dr. Yousif Mohammed Al Serkal, Director General of EHS, said the Bundle kickstarts a new phase in government work, taking another step forward towards the future.

He said: “The Work Bundle plays a pivotal role in the development process, offering an integrated service system that focuses primarily on customers and on understanding their precise needs.

“The initiative contributes to boosting the UAE’s economic competitiveness and solidifying its position as the ideal destination for living and working.

“The Bundle reflects the UAE Government’s commitment to leveraging legislative, regulatory, and technological tools to spearhead sustainable development and provide promising job opportunities”.

The Work Bundle unified platform aims to develop a seamless user experience by requesting information only once, through a unified application form involving various entities that exchange data via an advanced electronic link.

It establishes a unified payment model and mechanism shared with all entities, reducing the number of required visits and documents through the use of modern technology and digital platforms that enhance collaboration among federal and local government entities, integrating their roles and streamlining procedures required to complete transactions, in line with the UAE’s strategic objectives.

The UAE Government works to enhance integration among federal and local services, in an effort to offer an exceptional service experience, make people’s lives easier, and support the business sector with a seamless, proactive experience, adding value to all users.

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