A rule banning expatriates from transferring their visas to another sponsor unless they left the country for six months was lifted yesterday.

The ruling, issued in April by the Naturalisation and Residency Department (GNRD), is replaced by a new decision allowing people to change jobs - but only in the emirate where they already work - without facing the six-month ban.

The decision has been circulated to all residency departments and officials began to apply it yesterday.

It means that all residency departments will apply the old rules while changing visas, which in turn means that changes of sponsorship will not necessitate leaving the UAE for six months and returning on the new sponsor's visa.

"It would appear that other General Naturalisation and Residency Departments are following the lead of the Dubai Naturalisation and Residency Department which has initiated the no-ban rule," said the official.

The job classification is according to the guide annexed to the executive regulations of the Cabinet Decision No 30 on sponsorship transfer. Employees in the nine exempted categories can transfer their sponsorships provided they have a university degree.

The 20 occupations include: architectural engineer, material handling engineer, soil engineer, mechanical engineer, road equipment engineer, production engineer, ship maintenance engineer, aircraft maintenance engineer, general maintenance engineer, locomotive maintenance engineer, welding engineer, vehicle engineer, hydraulic engineer, equipment engineer, electrical engineer, general production engineer, heating and cooling engineer, oil engineer and quality engineer.

Other conditions are: employees must do the same job with their new employer, they must have a valid residence visa, they must have worked two years with their former employer and there is no UAE or GCC national available for the same job.

The list in the second category comprising 76 job description inclues: credit manager, studies and research manager, telecommunications manager, archaeology manager, statistics manager, managing director, investment manager, works and public utility manager, banking manager, regional manager, production manager, postal and telephone manager, commercial manager, planning manager, training manager, marketing manager, developing manager, supply manager, executive director, society manager, accounts manager, services manager, social welfare manager, sport and youth welfare manager, nursery manager, railway manager, cinema manager, social affairs manager, commercial affairs manager, municipal affairs manager, educational affairs manager, religious affairs manager, agricultural and irrigation affairs manager, hygienic affairs manager, industrial affairs manager, labour manager, judicial affairs manager, financial and accounting affairs manager, personnel manager, general manager, maintenance manager, industrial relations manager, public relations manager, operations manager, hotel manager, electricity power manager, sales manager, follow up manager, museum manager, station manager, store manager, test laboratory manager, school principal, farm manager, animal farm manager, poultry farm manager, hospital manager, veterinary hospital manager, clinic manager, theatre manager, project manager, procurement manager, factory manager, club manager, institute manager, office manager, library manager, waste water manager, port manager, sea transport manager, overland transport manager, air transport manager and tourism agency manager.

Employers in the nursing category eligible to transfer their sponsorship are nursing specialist, motherhood and childhood nursing specialist, surgical nursing specialist, specialist in public health nursing, and general nursing specialist.

Expatriates working in 15 occupations under the categories of journalist, nurse and translator are eligible to transfer their sponsorships.

Employees in the category of journalists who are allowed to transfer their sponsorship are editor in chief, reporter, news editor, editorial manager, correspondent, news controller, news photographer, and news graphic designer.
The translator category includes translator and simultaneous translator.

The new decision with conditions attached
* New decision allows people in exempted categories to change jobs - but only in the emirate where they work - without getting the ban.

* There will be no restriction on whether a person is changing between the public and private sectors. But the employee must obtain a no-objection letter from his previous sponsor besides other documents.

* The six-month ban will still apply to those who intend to change jobs from one emirate to another with the exception of those who move from the private sector to government employment.

* Nine categories of employees who are currently exempt from the visa transfer ban will be able to change sponsorship provided they stay with their old sponsor for one year and the old sponsor issues a no objection certificate. In addition, they should move to a job in the same emirate and work under their existing job description.

* Workers in these nine categories are entitled to move to other emirates if they are working for a government department.

* Any expatriate who is in one of the 20 occupations included in the category of engineers, or 76 in the category of administrators, is eligible to transfer sponsorship.

* Applicants from these categories must have a university degree in the field of their speciality, and they must meet other conditions.