Advice required from UAE residents

[F86 Saber]

Two of my friends who joined a company in UAE around 4 months ago now want to leave and go back to their country. Now that they contacted the management they were told that they cannot go and will have to pay visa fee which is around AED 5000 each if they want to leave. The company is small time and is holding their passports and is refusing to give them back unless they pay. They are on limited contact of 2 years and still under probation. As far as i know an employee under probation in UAE can leave on a single day's notice than why are they trying to impose this fine on my friends? Is it legal? And what should they do to get their passports back?

 

[rockstarIN]

Holding of passport is illegal, so far I know.

 

[Capt.Popeye]

Two of my friends who joined a company in UAE around 4 months ago now want to leave and go back to their country. Now that they contacted the management they were told that they cannot go and will have to pay visa fee which is around AED 5000 each if they want to leave. The company is small time and is holding their passports and is refusing to give them back unless they pay. They are on limited contact of 2 years and still under probation. As far as i know an employee under probation in UAE can leave on a single day's notice than why are they trying to impose this fine on my friends? Is it legal? And what should they do to get their passports back?

First of all, let them contact their consulate.
If they are in minor/ unskilled jobs, they are very vulnerable. And while holding back passports is illegal, it is a very common practice in UAE and GCC countries especially by unsavory employers. Chances are that these individuals are also not being given the service conditions that they were promised. If that is so, then that fact can be used to build up their case against their employers; since the local authorities do not like to act against the local employers usually. Also these employees can approach the leaders of their local community to both lobby on their behalf and also use the possibility of using the media to publicise their case, these steps in turn will pressurise their local consulate to act.
In short, they will need all the help they can get, especially if they belong to the underlined category.

 

[Super Falcon]

well recetly govt of UAE passed new law if company is hiring anyone it is company's responsible to pay all expeses of visa and dont ask employee to pay if they than fine they will get company and if company to you friends asking they have to pay expenses than they can go to any police station and tell then that they have been cheated by company company is not paying visa expeses so they dont want to work with company and do your friends have got visa or not from company if yes than who paid expenses if company have paid and asking to you friends that company will cut visa expenses from their monthly salary they still can go to police and im sure company willl be defaulter in this deal