Employee visa cancellation process

The process to cancel an employee’s residence visa has been simplified by the government of UAE. Here are the steps involved for officially canceling a residence visa.

In UAE, if you are under an employment visa, only the sponsor or employer has the right to cancel your residence visa. This is mandatory and you are not allowed to process the cancellation application on your own. There are a few steps involved while canceling an employee’s residence visa.

Cancellation of the labor card

Application to cancel the employee’s labor contract and labor card. This can be done by approaching the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation. The application has to be duly signed by the employee as well. The company must also submit a letter signed by the employee to the ministry of human resources stating that the employee in concern has received his/her wages and end of service benefits.

Employment visa cancellation

If an employee has any dependents in the UAE, it is mandatory to cancel the dependents visa first before canceling the employee’s residence visa.

The employer then needs to submit the UAE visa cancellation application to the GDRFA. There are two ways to cancel your UAE residence visa

· Online: Sponsors have the option to use the online portal to process the residence visa cancellation.

· Typing Centre: The sponsor can visit any typing office registered by the GDRFA. The typing centre fills out the cancellation form and completes the due diligence required to process the cancellation through the respective GDRFA.

The visa status can be checked online through the GDRFA portal throughout the entire process.

Documents Required for visa cancellation

The following documents are required if an employee’s residence visa is being canceled:

1. Cancellation form that is signed by the sponsor. If the sponsor is a company, the cancellation form needs to be signed and sealed by the company stamp.

2. Original passport of the employee (sponsored).

3. Original identity card of the employee (sponsored).

4. Copy of the company trade license.

5. Labor Establishment card.

Your Emirates ID card is taken from you and your passport will be stamped and returned to you.

Cancellation Fees

You can refer to the visa application fees list as provided by the ministry of labor in the UAE.

Timeline of the cancellation process

If all the requirements are met, the cancellation process can be finalized in a day or less. After the cancellation, an employee has 30 days to exit the country or get another residence visa. Failure to do so will lead to penalties and fines.

If you need more information about visa cancellation in the UAE, you can easily contact the General Directory of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) on 600522222.