UAE labour law: Can an immigration ban be lifted?

Dubai - Know the law: What’s the process to check about the possibility of returning to UAE after a ban

Question: Thanks for your answer dated May 16 about employment ban in the UAE. I used to work in a company in Dubai. However, I received an immigration ban in 2019 and left for India. I am not sure if my ban was permanent or just for one year. Is there any way for me to check on this? Is it possible to lift a 'permanent' ban? Thanks.

Answer: Pursuant to your queries, we assume that a permanent immigration ban is imposed upon you, which refrains you from travelling to the UAE. Therefore, the provisions of Federal Law No. 6 for 1973 Concerning Immigration and Residence as Amended by Virtue of Law 7 of 1985, Law 13 of 1996 and Federal Decree - Law No. 17 of 2017 (the ‘Immigration Law’) are applicable.

It should be noted that an immigration ban may be interpreted as a permanent one on an individual which refrains him or her from travelling to the UAE. An employment ban on an individual may only be a temporary one not to work in the UAE for a certain period. Such ban may not stop an individual to travel to the UAE.

Also read:

UAE visa: How to lift permanent immigration ban imposed due to TB

Generally, once an individual is deported from the UAE based on an immigration ban, he or she shall not be allowed to re-enter UAE.

This is in accordance with Article 28 of the Immigration Law, which states: “A foreigner who has been deported may not return to the country except with special permission from the Minister of Interior.”

Therefore, your chances of travelling back to the UAE look minimal as the authorities may have conducted an iris (eye scan) test on you and may have blacklisted you.

However, if you are interested to travel back to the UAE, you may grant a power of attorney to one of your friends/relatives or a legal counsel to check if there is a permanent ban on you related to entering the country.