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UAE: Expats workers made to pay for visa renewal
| Published: | 29 Dec at 12 PM |
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Expat workers in the UAE are being illegally charged as much as AED15,000 by employers to renew their working visas every two years, a Bangladesh embassy employee has said.
It costs AED2,879 to renew a manual worker’s visa, but the law states that it is the employer’s responsibility to pay for it. But, according to the embassy staff member, expats from Pakistan, Nepal, India and Bangladesh are being forced to front the bill by many owners of small businesses.
Bangladeshi embassy councillor Mohammed Shahadat Husain in Abu Dhabi said he had heard of many cases in which workers were having to pay thousands of dirhams to renew working visas. He revealed that the amount charged could be anything from AED5,000 to AED15,000.
He went on to say that the money made from exploitation is taken by sponsors, who threaten to cancel the employment visa if their workers refuse to pay the fees. He added that one Bangladeshi man had been at the embassy earlier that day and told him his sponsor wanted AED10,000 to renew his visa.
It costs AED2,879 to renew a manual worker’s visa, but the law states that it is the employer’s responsibility to pay for it. But, according to the embassy staff member, expats from Pakistan, Nepal, India and Bangladesh are being forced to front the bill by many owners of small businesses.
Bangladeshi embassy councillor Mohammed Shahadat Husain in Abu Dhabi said he had heard of many cases in which workers were having to pay thousands of dirhams to renew working visas. He revealed that the amount charged could be anything from AED5,000 to AED15,000.
He went on to say that the money made from exploitation is taken by sponsors, who threaten to cancel the employment visa if their workers refuse to pay the fees. He added that one Bangladeshi man had been at the embassy earlier that day and told him his sponsor wanted AED10,000 to renew his visa.
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