look news india
Work Permit and Residency Visa: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Tuesday launched a new platform called “Work Bundle” to simplify and speed up the process of obtaining work permits and residency visas.
The platform aims to streamline the experience for both companies and individuals looking for employment opportunities in Dubai.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates of Dubai, said in a post on Twitter that the Work Bundle platform will “convenient, simplify and shorten the procedures for residence and work (permits) in the country.”
Previously, obtaining a work permit and residency visa could take up to 30 days and involved submitting a whopping 16 documents.
Now, the processing time has been reduced to just five days and only five documents are required from applicants, reducing the burden, according to a report in Khaleej Times.
Additionally, the number of visits required at visa centers has been reduced from seven to only two days, saving the applicant time and effort.
The “action bundle” is aligned with “zero bureaucracy” which aims to simplify government processes and provide proactive services. The first phase will be implemented in Dubai through the “Invest in Dubai” platform and will gradually be expanded to include other government digital platforms,” the UAE government posted on X.
Importance for the Indian diaspora
Indians are the largest ethnic community in the UAE, making up about 30 percent of the country's population. According to UAE government records, the number of Indians resident in the UAE was estimated to be 3.5 million in 2021.
About 20 percent of the Indian community lives in Abu Dhabi and the rest in the six northern emirates including Dubai.
Although the majority of Indians living here are employed, about 10 percent of the Indian population constitutes dependent family members.
In February, Dubai also introduced a five-year multiple-entry tourist visa for Indians. Under this, Indian citizens can get the facility of multiple entries in Dubai for five years, in which each time they will be allowed to stay for 90 days.
Last year, 24.6 lakh Indians visited Dubai, 25 per cent more than the pre-COVID-19 era.
Streamlined process through integrated platform
The work bundle achieves its efficiency by integrating the processes of the various government entities involved in the visa process. It includes the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship, and the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs.
By consolidating these processes under one platform, Work Bundle eliminates the need for applicants to interact with multiple agencies.
The Work Bundle platform is currently being implemented in Dubai, with plans to expand to other emirates in the future.
These new packaged services allow companies to use them to complete transactions quickly, including payments using their Emirates ID for verification and provide great features that accelerate the digital transformation in the Emirates.
“This announcement reflects the UAE’s accelerated digital transformation to attract companies to the UAE,” said Lieutenant General Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri, Director General of the Directorate General of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai.
