Jenny Hunt
- 4 min read

How To Make Yourself More Attractive To Prospective Employers In The UAE

17th June 2020

It goes without saying your CV needs to standout when applying for a new job in the UAE, but is there more you could be doing? Particularly in the current economic climate, when competition will be fierce for new positions and companies are looking to reduce their overheads. I'm not suggesting you need to reduce the salary you are asking for, but there is a way that you can significantly reduce the company's costs in hiring you, which could be the deciding factor if you are shortlisted against another candidate with equal skills and experiences. Organize your own visa!

2 Ways Companies Can Employ Staff In The UAE

The most common way for a company to take on new employees is to provide the employee with a residence visa and Emirates ID card. The company is responsible for the financial burden of organizing the visa and everything involved with it, e.g. work permit, visa medical, labour card and Emirates ID card - these costs are incurred every two or three years when the visa needs to be renewed. In addition, the company is also required to provide and pay for health insurance, which is renewed annually. This quickly adds up to thousands of Dirhams. And, for organisations in Abu Dhabi, there is a further responsibility for companies to provide health insurance for the employee's spouse and up to three children under the age of 18!
Companies can also employ new staff who already have a visa. In such an instance, the company is only responsible for the financial burdern of organising the person's work permit and labour card because they already have a visa and health insurance of their own. A typical example of this scenario would be when a lady's visa is sponsored by her father or husband. And, with the overhaul of the UAE visa regulations last year, men can now be sponsored by their wives (the wife would have a job but the husband didn't or perhaps was a stay-at-home-dad), meaning that companies can now also employ men who already have their own visa. The cost of a labour card works out at a fraction of the total cost of a visa combined with health insurance. This means its far cheaper for a company to employ a person who already has their own visa.

How To Organize Your Own Visa In The UAE

To be in full control of your own visa it would be necessary to establish your own company in the UAE. If you are living and planning to work in Dubai, the company should be setup in Dubai and vice versa in Abu Dhabi. The cost of establishing businesses has reduced significantly over the previous months. To provide an example, new mainland companies in Abu Dhabi get their initial license issued for two years rather than one, making it an attractive option for people living in and intending to work in Abu Dhabi. Once the trade license has been issued for your new company, you can then apply for your visa and Emirates ID card.

Now You Are A More Attractive Job Candidate In The UAE

Once you have your own visa and you are applying for jobs, be sure to highlight your visa status on the first page of your CV towards the top of the page, as well as in your covering letter or email. Once you have secured your new job, your new employer will simply need to arrange a temporary work permit (renewable after six months) and a labour card for you to legally be employed by them.

How Gateway Can Help You To Set Up A Company & Get Your Own UAE Visa

Whether you are in Dubai or Abu Dhabi, Gateway's on-the-ground team can manage the process of setting up your company and organizing your visa. We'll help to identify the cheapest license option available for you and then our on-the-ground-team will do the rest! Ask Gateway To Set Up Your Company & Get You A Visa.

How To Make Yourself More Attractive To Prospective Employers In The UAE

Related Gateway Group Blogs

Gateway Group Of Companies

Gateway Group – We’re Pretty Good At What We Do

Blog Categories