# Jafza visa info



## ianrodriques (Feb 14, 2015)

Hi All,

I received an offer from a FZCO firm and they are offering the JAFZA 3 year Visa unlike the 2 year normal visa which my parents have.

For the visa proceeding, i was only asked to submit my passport copy, Visa copy and photographs. They did not ask for the attested degree cert and I confirmed and checked with the HR as well. 
I am getting them attested anyway but i would i need to present them at a later stage?

Also, if someone could guide with the bye laws for JAFZA Visa concerning:
-Termination
- Resignation prior to the 3 year contract

Thanks in advance


----------



## TT365 (Oct 14, 2014)

Personally I think any questions on employment visas should be run past a lawyer first so that you have some formal advice.

From what I have read both before coming and now having been employed in the freezone and going through the process with other employees is that there is a degree of flexibility in JAFZA that doesn't exist in Dubai however it is discretionary and shouldn't be relied upon.

In theory if you contract is terminated then the employer can ask JAFZA to revoke the visa and issue a labour ban of 6 months. This wouldn't apply to the rest of the UAE so you could apply outside JAFZA. This would also apply if you quit, in my opinion if your contract was terminated by the employer it is unlikely they would seek a ban unless they had a good reason to do so, if you resigned then the chances are higher.

If you do resign and want to work in JAFZA then you will need a NOC from your employer.

Ultimately read your contract carefully (or better still get a lawyer to do it) and crucially check if there are any clawbacks for the visa costs if you resign and if the payments are on a sliding scale (for example 100% in the first 12 months, 75% 13-24 months etc) if they are on a sliding scale then it's an indication that the employer is not unreasonable and recognises that people move on.


----------



## ianrodriques (Feb 14, 2015)

Thank you so much for that insight. My contract agreement is just one paper offer letter specifying the salary, position offered, increment, probation and the location of work. Since there was no info about the bye laws or even termination, i decided to seek help from the online community.

Is a lawyer still necessary to get some advice because my offer letter has no information as such for a lawyer to interpret any conclusions?

could you also tell me if degree cert needs to be attested because they have not asked me to?

Thank you again


----------



## TT365 (Oct 14, 2014)

You definitely need a contract between you and the employer, ask for this in advance. There will be a separate JAFZA contract which you should be able to ask for in advance as well though this is likely to be pretty standard. If you just have an offer letter then there is no point in speaking to a lawyer but I wouldn't accept any job without fully reading a contract. 

Never do this on the day you join with them looking over your shoulder instead get it emailed, print it out. Get a highlighter pen and go through the contract marking areas you are not sure about and then ask for clarification in writing of these points or ask them to amend the contract. Any job is like a sale and both parties need to agree so you should be able to have minor changes made though this will depend on your status I suppose. Once you are happy then print the amended version twice and then sign this and have them sign it in front of you.

If they insist on printing the contract or present you the contract to sign then check it's the same as the version you read preferably by re reading the whole thing or at least making sure that there are the same number of sections, clauses etc and cross check the amendments you agreed and a few other areas (such as those you have highlighted). This may seem like a bit of pain for you and the employer but it's better for you both in the long run and it shows you do things properly.

With regards the degree certificates it would depend on the job, for a low or mid level job your employer might want you to have the degree but it might not be necessary for the JAFZA visa the best thing to do is ask. You will need to have it attested in the country of award before having it attested here I believe but again I would ask.

Good luck


----------



## ianrodriques (Feb 14, 2015)

Thank you. I will discuss this with my employer. 

Thank you for advising. Hoping things turn out ok for me!


----------



## TT365 (Oct 14, 2014)

No problem, hopefully others who are more knowledgeable will comment as well. Good luck


----------

