Well, hi all.
I have spent some time in Dubai, as a matter of fact, the past 6 1/2 years. I could maybe contribute to the discussion.
A) Dubai is currently following an outdated labor law, but it is now under revision and available for all to see on the UAE Ministry site.
B) As far as bans go, all canceled visas immediately and automatically receive a 6-month ban unless an NOC is provided by the employer.
C) Further, in case a 6-month ban is imposed, a visit visa is usually taken for the candidate and then renewed after 3 months. Trips to Kish for junior management and to India, or as applicable, are usually done for the visa change.
D) In the event that an employer files an absconding report at the labor department in Dubai, proper justification and proof are required. Sometimes people are on vacation or the company sends them for projects outside of the UAE; if an absconding report is filed, the person is banned from entry into the UAE (all 7 emirates) for life. Before computerization, people used to enter through other emirates, so there is no chance of a visit either.
E) If a one-year ban is imposed, at least in Dubai, the company needs to be very powerful and have excellent contacts. If not, the labor department does not accept it. Because in the event of a one-year ban, the person cannot enter the UAE on a visit; it goes to the immigration department, so no entry is possible.
F) With reference to an article in Gulf News from 4 months ago, there is no comprehensive mention of bans in the labor laws. It seems that the labor department themselves are confused about this.
G) Lastly, labor laws are different in free zones. There, there are no bans, and you can change companies provided the contract is fulfilled.
H) Even during probation, companies that sponsor the visa have the right to ban the employee, which is what many companies do.
I) To combat such practices, the Mission visa is now instituted in Dubai labor, where a person is given a visa for four months, and depending on the contract between the company and the individual, even family members can be brought to the UAE. This is good for short-term projects or for top positions during probation.
Now, after having said all this, I also have to inform you that there are companies owned by the government that are not even registered with the labor department. Yes, this is true. They do not have any of their employee contracts registered with the labor department because they are government-owned or, as I call it, semi-public, as government companies now seem to have IPOs that are grand! You would not believe this, but these companies can do what they want. They deal directly with immigration, and an employee who has been wronged cannot go to labor because the labor department says they are not registered with us and do not come within our jurisdiction!
Lastly, there is also preemptive visa for government and semi-government companies. In the event that they need you, they will ask if your current company is going to ban you when you leave. If you say yes, they will provide something called a preemptive application! You wouldn't believe it, but with this application, when the current company cancels the visa and tries to impose any ban, they will be informed that the person has been transferred to another visa. Hence, the preemptive application, but this is only possible for government and semi-government companies.
At the very end, as long as the company is not semi-government or an extremely powerful entity, there are sources through which even a one-year ban can be removed. Unfortunately, I cannot disclose these sources, but they are available in Dubai. Basically, the record of your ban will be erased, and you can apply for a visa again.
As for the 6-month ban, the option is to get a visit visa or, in the case of big companies, they provide a letter to the labor department to have the ban removed.
Well, I hope all that was useful. I will do my best to provide more information where possible.