The UAE’s sponsorship system binds foreign workers to employers via a visa permitting residence contingent on continuous valid jobs.
Key Features:
- Sponsor assumes costs and paperwork responsibilities for renewable visas
- Visitors require pre-arranged labor contracts to transition into long-stay visas
- Job loss results in immediate de-residency without new sponsorship quickly
Example:
An Australian marketing executive received a 3-year multiple-entry work visa from her UAE-based employer to ease business travel.
Takeaways:
While strengthening employers’ influence, the system addresses socioeconomic balancing interests through work-linked visas. Reforms incrementally empower select residency categories. Still, dependence on single sponsors curtails migrant autonomy and mobility.