UAE to process visas, work permits in 5 days only

There is good news for those applying for work permits and visas. The UAE’s Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) has launched the second phase of the ‘Work Bundle’ for companies across the country. This will streamline processes for not just MOHRE but also other government organisations such as the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Ports Security (ICP), Dubai Health Authority (DHA), and the Department of Economy and Tourism, as well as the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA).

The Work Bundle service will be offered on workinuae.ae, a unified digital platform meant to streamline and speed up procedures for private-sector firms. It will offer essential employment and residency services for private-sector companies and individuals, via a unified application form in line with the Zero Government Bureaucracy Programme. This will save about 62 million working hours that were otherwise wasted in making physical followup visits to government offices. It will also do away with government procedures and visits by 25 million and 12 million respectively, not to mention the cost saving for all involved.

In the first phase, the ‘Work Bundle’ was available only to companies based in Dubai.

Instead of five services platforms, there is just one single platform now. The number of steps in the process has been reduced to five from 15, and the number of documents required has been reduced from 16 to five. Eight required services were integrated into one platform. Now, only two visits are required instead of seven. Processing time has also come down from 30 to five working days.