Who pays visa expenses?

Who pays visa expenses?

A reader from Dubai asks: My friend works for a Dubai company. His employer is requiring him to sign a cash advance of Dh8,000 to cover the expenses of his employment visa processing. This cash advance will be payable once he resigns from the company. Is this legal?

We advise the questioner to tell his friend not to respond to such a request by the employer and not to sign such a document for visa expenses, due to the fact that as per the Labour Law, those expenses are imposed on the employer and not the employee. If the sponsor keeps pressurising the employee to sign such a document, I would advise the questioner to approach the Labour Office and file a complaint.

Question answered by Advocate Mohammad Ebrahim Al Shaiba of Al Bahr Advocates and Legal Consultants.