Dubai Chamber Hosts Workshop on Legal Aspects of UAE Residency

- Workshop aimed to raise awareness about key legal and practical matters related to UAE residency and employment 
- Discussions covered a variety of topics, including short and long-term visit and employment permits, business travel, residency compliance, and residency violations

19 April 2017 - Dubai, UAE: The Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry hosted a one-day legal workshop on Tuesday (April 18th) at its head office in cooperation with Taylor Wessing (Middle East) LLP and Fragomen (UAE) LLC to provide local businesses and employers with more clarity on key legal and practical aspects related to UAE residency.

Entitled ‘Key Legal & Practical Aspects of UAE Residency’, the workshop was attended by Dubai Chamber Members, Legal Experts, Human Resources Professionals, Business Owners, General Managers, Contract Administrators, and Corporate Counsel. During the event, participants were informed about residency procedures in the country, and the importance of ensuring that company policies and practices comply with existing regulation. 

Leading the discussion were Sarah Malik, FCIArb Counsel –, Taylor Wessing (Middle East) LLP, Thenji Macanda, Senior Associate, Taylor Wessing (Middle East) LLP, Murtaza Khan, Partner at Fragomen (UAE) LLC, Marcin Kubarek, Manager of Knowledge and Content for Fragomen FZ LLC, and Abeer Al Husseini, Manager, Fragomen FZ-LLC. 

The speakers shared insight into the legal framework underlying the UAE’s residency system, and covered a wide range of topics, including: key categories of short and long-term visit and employment permits; managing business travellers; residency compliance; cancellation and de-registration; residency and labour violations; and property visa categories.

Jehad Kazim, Director, Legal Services Department, Dubai Chamber, explained that the workshop aimed to raise awareness among businesses in the UAE about key legal aspects associated with residency and employment in the country. 

Sarah Malik of Taylor Wessing (Middle East) LLP highlighted the importance of hosting the workshop as residency and employment are matters that affect all businesses in the UAE, and noted that such events help keep employers and professionals up-to-date on recent developments. 

Thenji Macanda of Taylor Wessing (Middle East) added that such events are particularly relevant in places like Dubai which is home to a very diverse business community. 

For his part, Murtaza Khan, Partner at Fragomen (UAE) LLC said: “As the UAE economy grows and diversifies, the framework for employment based residency of foreign workers is constantly evolving into a more sophisticated system. Awareness and preparation is key when it comes to meeting UAE employment residency needs. The workshop is aimed at providing up-to-date insights enabling businesses to implement robust strategies, policies and processes in this area.”

Dubai Chamber regularly organises training seminars and workshops to raise awareness about key business trends and laws impacting the emirate’s private sector. These events fall in line with its strategic objectives of creating a favourable business environment and supporting business growth in the emirate.