Concerned About My UAE Employment Visa Status – Can I Still Travel to Other Countries?

Hello All, I am a new entrant to this forum. Please guide me on the following issue: I worked in a company in Sharjah during 2008-2010. Due to family reasons, I returned to India for my vacation and encountered some family problems. Therefore, I could not send my passport back to Sharjah. Now, is there any problem if I did not send my passport back to my company? Can I now apply for a visa to other countries except the UAE?

Thanks,

Dear Fiza28, Please provide more information regarding your query. What type of visa were you on? (Commercial or Dependent) You mentioned you were working in 2008-10. Did you resign from the job you were working at? Did your employer cancel your visa after resignation? Also, please note that an Indian Passport is the property of the Indian Government issued to Indian nationals for foreign travel. Your passport cannot leave the country or cross borders without you. Please go through your passport for a visa (Residence) page and check the validity (expiry date) of the visa.

My visa is an employment visa. I had been to India for my vacation, and I did not resign from my job. Due to family problems, I have to stay here in India. Today, they called me up and asked for my passport for cancellation, but I could not send it because I have an issue over there in Sharjah. Can I apply for a job in other countries except the UAE?

Thank you.

Hi Fiza28, as per the incomplete situation you have described in your post, what I understand is that you were working in Sharjah, left Sharjah for a vacation, and after coming to India, you decided not to go back to the same employer. You mentioned that you have a problem in Sharjah! Well, it's your personal matter. You need to first be clear in your mind whether what you are doing is right or not.

In any case, you cannot separate your passport from your possession unless asked to be surrendered by the Indian Government. I cannot advise you on these matters as your query is not clear and also sounds like something is wrong!

There is nothing wrong here. They are asking me to send my passport for the cancellation of my visa. If I do not send my passport for cancellation, can I apply for a visa to another country or not?

My responses are as per your postings. If you were working in Sharjah, then you must resign from your job, complete the exit process, hand over any company property you possess, settle any dues, and then your employer may cancel the visa.

As per my knowledge, if you stay out of the UAE for more than 6 months, your residence visa will become invalid but not cancelled. Therefore, you cannot obtain a new visa to the UAE unless the previous visa is cancelled. To cancel the visa, you may send a copy of your passport with relevant pages, provided all dues are clear with your employer and the government.

Sending your original passport to the UAE via courier to cancel your visa may be practiced in the UAE, but I feel it's not safe to send your passport like this. Speak to your employer and see if there is an alternative way to cancel the visa.

You can apply for a visa for another country. However, regarding GCC countries, if you are put on the absconder list in the UAE, then getting a visa for another GCC country can be an issue. Please check with the UAE Embassy for clarification; they can guide you on this matter. Also, find out how you can cancel your visa.

Regards,

In my opinion, yes, there shouldn't be a problem, as US or UK visa procedures are different. You can check with the consulates of these countries for normal visa procedures.

Hussain has guided you very well. However, let me add one important aspect to the whole issue from a larger perspective.

Please note that whenever one applies for a visa to any country—not just the UK or USA—the individual's passport xerox copy (of all the pages, including blank ones) has to be sent to the visa-applying employer for the necessary approvals before one goes to the local embassy/consulate in India for the stamping (and even when it’s a case of the port-of-entry visa process, like it is for Singapore). This is, by and large, the process for any country (even though I am basing this on our company’s experience with regard to the USA and Singapore).

This is where you may get hit if you don’t close your case properly with respect to the UAE visa.

Regarding the process of sending your passport to the UAE employer for their visa cancellation formalities, I agree with Hussain. In fact, I also apprehend a more serious turn of events (since, frankly, I am not so sure that the passport is needed physically for such cancellation). What if the UAE company is trying to play a dirty trick on you for what you did to them? Frankly, you definitely made a mistake in not resigning formally or informing them appropriately. However you want to justify your action, it’s just not correct.

Take Hussain’s advice and contact the local embassy in India for the right process to cancel your UAE visa.

All the best.

Regards,
TS

Visa Cancellation and Immigration Records in the UAE

Not cancelling a work visa is a serious issue in the UAE. If you have been declared an absconder, your visa can be cancelled by the sponsor company, but this will be recorded in your immigration records. If you are not aware of the circumstances and what wrong has been done, you are advised not to part with your passport under any circumstances. The UAE embassy will certainly be able to help you and set your record right if you have not committed a crime in the UAE.

Regards

Dear Fiza, In addition to TS's advice, please note that for canceling a VISA in the UAE, this is the process. However, do confirm with the official sources.

Process for Canceling a UAE VISA

An employed person seeking to cancel the UAE VISA has to obtain a cancellation form duly filled and signed by the employer. This cancellation form has to be submitted to the concerned Ministry (Ministry of Naturalization and Residence, I think), along with your original passport and copies. After reviewing the submitted documents, the Ministry conducts a verification check regarding any pending cases of the person. Once all steps are clear, the Ministry stamps the VISA page on the passport with a canceled stamp. This process completes the VISA cancellation. Your original passport is required.

However, you cannot just directly send the passport to the UAE, as TS suggested. Your employer may either give you a hard time to get it back, or it may simply get lost due to careless handling.

Requirements for UK and US VISA Applications

I am also aware that for UK and US VISA applications, you need to submit copies of all the pages of your passport, a letter of invitation from the concerned sponsor from that country, a PCC from the regional passport office, a Bank Statement (only in some cases), etc.

You can check with the UAE embassy in India if they can assist you in canceling your VISA in India. You can request the cancellation form from your employer.

Also, note that in the future, if you wish to travel to the UAE, you may face hurdles due to not canceling your VISA. Your current VISA has become invalid (6 months out of the country) but not canceled. Tricky law...but what to do!!

Please let me know if you need any further assistance or clarification.

Best regards,

I joined the company in Dubai Media City on September 12, 2004, as a Video Editor. On March 10, 2007, I went on a vacation to my home country and returned on April 25, 2007. When I reported back to the company, the HR Manager informed me that due to heavy losses, the company was forced to reduce staff, and unfortunately, I was on the list of terminations. They granted me permission to stay on their visa until its expiry date, which was December 12, 2007. As I had just returned from vacation, I was running out of money to find a new job. Despite trying for three days within Media City, I couldn't secure one. After contacting the person in charge of the office at that time, I flew back to my homeland.

Eight years later, I secured a job in Abu Dhabi. However, when they applied for my visa, it was rejected due to an absconding report filed by my previous company. Upon attempting to reach out to the company, I discovered that it had closed down in 2010.

Request for Assistance on Lifting a Ban

I kindly request your assistance on how to lift my ban, considering my former company's closure in the UAE. I am willing to pay any government-related fees and penalties necessary to clear my ban in the UAE.

Thank you and regards,

Kollakkal

I went to Dubai in 2010 on an employment visa. After one month, I returned to India. I got a job in Abu Dhabi in 2015. Will there be any problem in my visa application process? Kindly help me. Thank you.

My passport was changed due to an issue with my date of birth.