As part of the ‘Zero Bureaucracy’, the government of UAE has launched the ‘Employment Package’, a pioneering project designed to expedite, simplify and streamline the processes related to UAE residence visa and work permit in private sector companies. The project aims to simplify procedures, enhance efficiency and reduce effort and time. It is expected to reduce 25 million procedures annually, 12.5 million annual visits, and 62.5 million working days annually.
Providing a single platform for renewal, cancellation, medical examination, and fingerprinting, the ‘Work Bundle’ integrates the procedures of 5 government entities, Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE), Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Ports Security (ICP), Dubai Health Authority (DHA), and the Department of Economy and Tourism (DET Services) and the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA)
The key elements of the ‘Work Bundle’ are the following;
· A single platform instead of 5
· Reduces procedures of 8 services to a single platform
· From 15 steps requiring 16 documents to 5 steps and 5 documents only
· Visits to departments reduced from 7 to only 2
· Above 80% time saving- from 30 working days to 5 working days
The Work Bundle also helps employees abroad by providing a platform for processing and filling out a unified application and obtaining a work permit. The completion of residency application requires the employee to then proceed for medical examination and EID fingerprint procedures.
The initiative is a result of close cooperation between federal and local government entities to enable clients to complete their transactions in the fewest steps possible through digital platforms where the service is available.
Digital transformation
The “Work Bundle” is a key step within the UAE digital transformation efforts in a way that contributes to enhancing the UAE competitiveness in global indicators related to the ease of establishing and managing businesses for private sector companies.
The first phase of the initiative will be implemented in Dubai through ‘Invest in Dubai’ and will be gradually expanded to include other emirates.