Dubai eases visa rules to facilitate business trips

DUBAI - In the latest move to boost the United Arab Emirates' economic competitiveness, Dubai on Tuesday announced a five-year multiple entry visa to facilitate business trips for foreign employees of firms based in the emirate.

The UAE, a federation of seven emirates, also this week unveiled new private sector labour laws which will come into force in February.

The Gulf state has recently launched a raft of economic and legal reforms, including longer-term residency visas, to attract investment and foreigners to help the economy recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The changes also come amid a growing economic rivalry with Gulf neighbour Saudi Arabia to be the region's trade and business hub.

The Crown Prince of Dubai, the region's business and tourism hub, said the five-year multiple entry visa would help staff of Dubai-based companies easily move in and out of the emirate for meetings and other business needs.

At a federal level, a new labour law announced on Monday is intended to create an efficient labour market, attract talent, empower women and improve the comparativeness of Emirati citizens in a private sector dominated by expatriate workers, Minister of Human Resources and Emiratisation Abdulrahman al-Awar said.

One provision bans employers holding onto employees' passports and forcing them to leave the country at the end of an employment contract, a ministry statement said.

The law also prohibits workplace discrimination based on factors including race, gender and religion, the statement said.