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Dubai cuts work, residency visa process from 30 days to 5 with new platform

The integrated procedure also reduces the number of required documents from 16 to five

Published: Wed 6 Mar 2024, 11:20 AM

Updated: Thu 7 Mar 2024, 1:25 PM

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Lt-Gen Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri, director-general of the GDRFA, at a Press conference on Wednesday — KT Photo: Angel Tesorero

Lt-Gen Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri, director-general of the GDRFA, at a Press conference on Wednesday — KT Photo: Angel Tesorero

Processing time to complete all necessary documents to acquire work permits and residency visas has been reduced from almost one month to five days, thanks to the new Work Bundle platform launched on Wednesday.

The integrated procedure will also reduce the needed documents from 16 to five, and the number of times to go to service centres from seven to only two, officials said at a press conference.

Work Bundle integrates all procedures for government entities — such as the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (Mohre), Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Ports Security (ICP), Dubai Health Authority (DHA), and the Department of Economy and Tourism, and the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA).

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It is first rolled out in Dubai before being implemented in other emirates.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, noted Work Bundle platform will “facilitate, simplify and shorten the procedures for residency and work (permits) in the country.”

“(The new Work Bundle platform) is set to reclaim 62 million working days previously devoted to the renewal of residencies and employment contracts within government frameworks. This project is expected to curtail 25 million procedures on an annual basis, thereby yielding substantial savings for both the governmental and private sectors,” he added.

Last month, he ordered UAE ministries and federal entities to cut at least 2,000 procedures and reduce the time required for processing by half within a year.

Here's an overview:

What services are integrated under Work Bundle?

There is now a single platform to complete employment services, including renewal, cancellation, medical examination, and fingerprinting.

In the first phase, the platform is available on ‘Invest in Dubai’ website and mobile app. Then it will be rolled out on a number of other government digital platforms and ‘Work in UAE’ website.

Which government entities are collaborating on Work Bundle platform?

The entities include Mohre, ICP, GDRFA, DHA. The project is supported by Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) and Digital Dubai, which provides the digital infrastructure and services between government entities.

What are the objectives of Work Bundle?

"Work Bundle" is part of UAE’s digital transformation related to the ease of establishing and managing businesses for private companies by having only one platform instead of five. It reduces procedures from 15 steps requiring 16 documents to only 5 steps and 5 documents. The number of visits to government entities to complete all requirements will also be reduced from 7 to only 2 visits, thus reducing waiting and processing time from 30 working days to 5 working days.

How can employees abroad benefit from Work Bundle?

Steps for recruiting a new employee from outside the country include filling out the unified application and issuing a work permit for the employee. Then, the employee should continue to complete the residency procedures, which include medical examination and issuance of the Emirates ID card.

The renewal service, meanwhile, requires the owner of the company to fill out the unified application. Then, the employee completes the medical examination and issuance of Emirates ID.

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