MOHRE Enforces Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, Imposes One-Year Permit Ban

(UAE) — The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, or MOHRE, clarified on May 12, 2026 that private-sector workers can move to a new employer after a job ends if a fixed-term contract expires without renewal or if both sides agree to terminate it. The ministry issued the guidance through official social media and a manual that set out when a transfer is lawful and when a worker can face a one-year ban on new work permits.

MOHRE tied the rules to Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 on Employment Relationships, as amended, as well as Article 27 of Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022 and Ministerial Resolution No. 47 of 2022 on Labour Disputes. The ministry also repeated that workers can remain in the country during a grace period after residency visa cancellation, giving them time to arrange another status or leave legally.

The clarification addresses a question that often arises at the end of a contract: whether a worker must leave the country immediately or can shift to another employer. Under the framework MOHRE described, a transfer is permitted after contract expiry and after mutual termination, provided the immigration and work permit steps are completed through the relevant channels.

Residency visa cancellation starts the transition process. Employers must cancel the worker’s residency visa within 14 days of termination, and that cancellation triggers the grace period recorded on paperwork issued by ICP or GDRFA.

The standard grace period is 30 days. It can extend to 180 days for specialized talent, UAE Golden Visa holders, or workers covered by 2022 Cabinet decisions tied to labour market needs.

That window gives workers three lawful paths. They can secure a new job and obtain a new work permit, switch to another visa category such as family sponsorship, or depart the UAE without overstaying.

MOHRE’s guidance also drew a line between older restrictions and the current system. Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 removed the pre-2021 six-month employer-imposed bans that once followed many job changes, and the ministry said restrictions now apply only in specific cases set out in the law and implementing rules.

The most serious of those restrictions is a one-year ban on new work permits. MOHRE said Article 8 of Ministerial Resolution No. 47 of 2022 allows that ban in three situations: when a worker ends a contract during probation without the required notice, when a work abandonment complaint is filed and upheld, and when a permit is cancelled from a fictitious establishment.

Probation cases turn on notice requirements and employer conduct. A worker who leaves during probation, which can last up to 6 months, faces a ban if the required notice period of 30-90 days, depending on the contract, is not given, unless the employer breached obligations such as failing to pay wages for more than 60 days.

MOHRE also included proven work abandonment on the list of triggers. The ministry’s guidance refers to a valid absconding complaint that it receives and upholds, not an allegation by itself.

The third trigger involves fictitious establishments, meaning a fake or non-operational company. If a work permit is cancelled from such an employer, the worker can be barred from obtaining a new work permit for one year.

The ministry set out several exemptions. Family-sponsored workers, people reapplying to the same employer, holders of professional skills listed by ministerial decision under the Cabinet-approved labour classification, UAE Golden Visa holders, and other labour market-priority categories can fall outside the ban, including in abandonment cases.

MOHRE also stressed the limit of the penalty. The ban affects new work permits only; it does not stop a person from entering the UAE on a non-work visa such as a tourist or family visa.

Alongside the transfer rules, the ministry outlined how employment arrangements can change without ending the working relationship entirely. Contracts can be converted, by mutual agreement and after dues are settled, between full-time, part-time, temporary, flexible, remote, and job-sharing models.

That flexibility sits beside a warning on conduct that the ministry described as prohibited. Participation in or incitement of random work stoppages can lead to imprisonment, fines, and deportation.

The guidance also revisited end-of-service pay, an issue that often surfaces when a worker leaves one employer and joins another. Gratuity must be paid in full at termination, calculated at 21-30 days of basic salary for each year of service and capped at 2 years, and the gratuity clock starts again with the new employer.

Non-compete clauses remain possible under the rules MOHRE highlighted, but they are not open-ended. Such clauses can last for up to 2 years and must state the activity restricted, the geographic scope, and the duration.

The legal route for changing jobs starts with notice, mutual termination, or a buy-out of contractual obligations. Once the employment relationship ends, the employer cancels the residency visa within 14 days, the worker enters the grace period, and a new employer can prepare the work permit application through MOHRE.

Before the new permit request goes in, MOHRE said workers can check whether any ban applies through the ministry’s app or portal. After the work permit step, the worker must obtain a new residency visa through ICP or GDRFA.

The clarification places MOHRE at the center of both compliance and dispute resolution. Workers with status questions or labour disputes can contact the ministry at 600-590-000 or through [MOHRE’s website](https://www.mohre.gov.ae), while immigration processing runs through [ICP](https://icp.gov.ae).

The government’s broader employment guidance remains available on the UAE’s [official jobs portal](https://u.ae/en/information-and-services/jobs). By setting out when contract expiry, mutual termination, visa cancellation, the grace period, and permit bans apply, MOHRE gave workers and employers a more precise map of how a legal job change works under Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021.