Dubai, July 17: In a move that will benefit thousands of overseas Indians here, the UAE government has allowed female expatriates, who are under the sponsorship of their mothers, brothers, uncles or other family members, to work in the country.
Earlier only female expatriates under the sponsorship of their father or husband were allowed to work in the UAE.
Under the labour law, no expatriate are allowed to work in the country unless they obtain a work permit and labour card.
Humaid Bin Deemas, Acting Director General at the Ministry, told Gulf News, with the new decision females who are under the sponsorship of family members such as the mother, brother or uncles can work in the country after acquiring a labour card.
”The aim of the new rule, which give an opportunity for this category of people to work in the country, is to increase the productivity of the local workforce and thus to lessen our dependency on foreign recruitment,” said Bin Deemas.
The UAE laws do not allow expatriates’ families to sponsor a male after the age of 18 years, but females can continue to be sponsored until they get married, when the sponsorship is usually transferred from her father to her husband. `1.
–Agencies