Companies’ problems delayed conduct certificate
The UAE labour ministry yesterday said the decision to suspend the good conduct certificate was made after a flood of complaints from businesses that were unable to process visas properly.
“The feedback we received from clients of the ministry was that the process of getting the certificate is delaying applications,” Dr Omar Al Nuaimi, spokesman for the Ministry of Human Resources
and Emiratisation, told The National.
The rule was introduced on February 4, requiring that anyone moving to the UAE present a police document from their home country demonstrating that they had no criminal history or convictions for the past five years.
The ministry said businesses and candidates were struggling to obtain the documents.
“They were facing difficulties and we wanted to make sure we didn’t delay visa applications, so we decided to suspend and restudy how we apply it. It is a temporary suspension,” Dr Al Nuaimi said.
“We are in touch with the countries of origin on how we can speed up the process. Because clients were not clear on the certificate, we wanted to
standardise the process and make sure we apply it in a way that doesn’t have a negative impact on doing business in the UAE.”
Those who were planning to apply for the certificate or started doing so, can continue with the procedure despite the suspension.
“Starting from yesterday, we are not requiring the certificate to be attached to the application, but those that have already been submitted will be processed,” Dr Al Nuaimi said.
Those who could not start new roles because of the certificate can start working, he said.
Dr Al Nuaimi said the decision concerned the private sector but he did not know how the move applied to public employment, where visas were usually issued through immigration departments.
As for employees who are transferring jobs within the UAE, he said that it was “an internal company procedure and we don’t interfere in that. This is up to companies even if there is an extension of the suspension”.
Murtaza Khan, a partner at the international recruitment company Fragomen Worldwide, said companies that waited until the certificate came into force on February 4 were probably the ones who experienced teething problems and delays.
“The UAE Government obviously announced the move ahead of time,” Mr Khan said. “That was a good move that allowed for preparatory time.”
But in some countries, where the process to obtain the certificate is long and involves many authorities, and people have to attend police stations in person for biometrics, they require more time to introduce the procedure.
“It is very important to avoid speculation,” Mr Khan said. “The government has not given a specific date for when the need for the certificate will be reinstated but what would be helpful is if, like the first time, they give a month or two in notice.
“That will be welcomed by the private sector because all they need is time to plan for it.”
UAE labour ministry will use the suspension to restudy processes to obtain certificates from around the world