RELO NEWS
UAE-based corporate hospitality company blueground said work has been completed on 150 of its fully-furnished rental apartments located in some of the most popular areas of Dubai and the units are now ready for occupation.
A major player in Dubai, blueground leases and upgrades high-quality properties in the most sought-after locations, and subsequently rents them out to business travelers for mid-to-long term duration.
In order to increase the amount of local workers in the private sector, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) has launched a National Program for Emiratisation called ‘Tawteen’. The program implements a new labour market testing platform called ‘Tawteen Gate’, which requires selected companies to create job advertisements accessible to UAE nationals seeking employment before those employers can hire foreign nationals
Individual sponsors who fail to provide health insurance for themselves, their employees and dependants by the June 30 deadline set by Dubai Health Authority will not face fines this year.
A grace period of six months has been offered by DHA as it plans to enforce the final stage of its mandatory health insurance scheme for all residents.
Health insurance is now linked to Dubai residency visas in an effort to have widespread coverage for the 3.8 million people living in the emirate.
Employment visa (entry permit) applicants from certain countries will soon have to process their immigration applications through designated UAE consular service centres in their home country before entering the UAE, according to an announcement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MOFAIC) and the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE).
Dubai Marina and Abu Dhabi’s Khalifa City A neighbourhoods were the most desirable locations in the UAE last year based on searches on classifieds website Dubizzle.com. Dubai Marina received 91 million searches overall for rent and sale properties, with more than 68 million searches solely for rental properties, Dubizzle said in its annual property report this week.
A $270 million (AED1 billion) marina development featuring the UAE’s first ‘water homes’ is to be built in Dubai’s Business Bay, it was revealed on Tuesday. Dubai Holding, through its real estate subsidiary Dubai Properties, unveiled plans for Marasi Business Bay, a 12 km waterfront scheme comprising shops, restaurants, a 1,250-berth marina and a park.
Annual spending on mobility across the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa (META) is expected to reach $185 billion by 2019, according to IDC's new 'Mobility Spending Guide'. This represents a 10.2% share of worldwide enterprise and consumer spending on mobile devices, software, and services, which is forecast to total $1.8 trillion in 2019.
The Dubai Health Authority stated, as of June 30, 2016, employers in Dubai will be required to provide health insurance for all of their employees. Employees must be covered by an acceptable insurance plan provided by a pre-approved health insurance provider, and employers will be required to provide proof of such coverage.
Employers in the Emirate of Dubai must provide health insurance coverage to all residents and visitors by June 30, 2016, according to an announcement by the Dubai Health Authority. Employees must provide at least basic coverage for their dependants and domestic workers under an approved plan by that date.
The General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai (GDRFA) has introduced a new electronic system for submission of visa applications which requires the foreign employee to appear at one of approximately 600 approved typing centers in Dubai, but eliminates the need for multiple appearances at a GDRFA branch. Most entry permits for visitors and residents will be issued electronically and emailed to the applicant, allowing the foreign national to carry the emailed copy instead of the original entry permit.
Hands-free calls while driving could soon be banned as the Ministry of Interior is working on regulations to limit use of smartphones and other electronic gadgets in cars, Gulf News can confirm.
A top ministry official confirmed to Gulf News on Monday that the new regulations would ban both Bluetooth-enabled calls as well as speaking on phone through earphones while a vehicle is on the move.
Abu Dhabi: Saqr Ghobash, Minister of Labour, has issued three ministerial decrees in an effort to enhance UAE labour market conditions and consolidate the contractual nature of labour relations.
The new rules, described by the minister as “a major milestone”, also seek to “close certain gaps pertaining to the enforcement and monitoring of labour relations, and provide for increased labour mobility in accordance with the provisions of our labour law”.
“I trust that these new decrees, together with the hard work ahead of us to improve our implementation and enforcement capacities, will translate into a qualitative leap in our quest to improve labour conditions in the UAE,” Ghobash said.
Expatriates who reside in GCC countries (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates) can now apply online for entry permits to visit UAE through Dubai. The service aims to expedite passenger movement at airports and relieve GCC residents of the hassle of waiting in queues for their visit visas, the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs announced on Wednesday.
The online visa application system also features an online payment method which will help passengers avoid the long queues to pay visa fees. As of now, the online system is not compulsory but merely an option for those who would like to complete the visa issuance procedure before arriving to the country.
New procedures that will impact the work permit application process for companies in the United Arab Emirates are expected to be implemented this month, according to a Ministry of Labour (MOL) announcement.
The following procedures are expected to be implemented:
A standardized offer letter in Arabic, English and, if required, in a third language that the candidate understands, would have to be prepared through the MOL’s electronic system at a Tas’heel Service Centre. The offer letter would be signed by the employee and electronically by the employer. The signed offer letter would then be submitted to the MOL with other documents for the work permit application.
The Abu Dhabi property market showed signs of fragmentation in the third quarter as average residential rental prices saw a slight quarterly decline with demand levels having weakened, said a report.
The average residential market rentals saw a marginal decline of around one per cent quarter on quarter, whilst maintaining around two to three per cent growth over the past quarters, stated global real estate consultancy firm CBRE in its Q3 2015 Abu Dhabi MarketView.
The emirate's residential market, however, enjoyed an annual growth rate of close to eight per cent during the period, it added.
The residential prices across Dubai, UAE, continued to decline in the third quarter with a sharp drop in apartment lease and sales rates compared to the previous quarter, said a report.
Additionally, the quantity of announced residential projects in Dubai reached a saturation point in the third quarter, stated property expert Phidar Advisory in its residential research note.
“However, there is no reason to panic because some announced and even launched projects are not viable, so handover is not expected in the stated timeframe,” remarked Jesse Downs, the managing director of Phidar Advisory.
