You need a residence visa to work in UAE. This is simply
a stamp on your passport. Among the Middle East countries, UAE
has the least formalities for obtaining a residence status.
Your sponsor for getting a residence visa is normally the employer,
who can legally vouch for you. You can get a residence visa,
simply by producing the required documents. The list of documents
varies depending on whether you are working for the government
or the private sector. The documents include a health card,
for which you need to take a detailed medical test, and a labour
card. Your resident status and labour card are normally valid
for 3 years after which they have to be renewed. It is the employer
who generally undertakes all these formalities. Once you are
an expatriate in UAE, you can change jobs or your visa status
while remaining in the country. You don’t have to leave
the country to reapply for a change of visa, as was the case
earlier.
