Photo has been used for illustrative purposes.

Mohamed Yasine, Staff Reporter

In line with the initiative launched by the UAE government, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) announced measures to enable expatriates to leave the country and return to homeland on an early leave. Here are answers to the most common questions in this regard.

How can workers benefit from the initiative?

Based on approval of the institutions they work for, they can go on fixed leaves after signing a form that is available on the smart application and website of the Ministry.  The form states that the period of leave will continue until the precautionary measures are over. 

Will the flight tickets value to home country be on their expenses?

Institutions or employers must pay for round tickets for their workers and specify the date of the leave’s end. Will the contractual relationship between the two parties continue?

According to the initiative, the contractual relationship between the employer and the worker will continue as is, and the early leave is considered unpaid leave with retaining worker’s dues in accordance with the Labour Law.  Will the leave end with the date determined in the form, or can it continue until end of the precautionary measures?

Early leave ends with the worker returning and starting work after the end of the precautionary measures’ period, and the period of leave is extendable according to the precautionary measures applied.

What will expatriates whose residency visas expire during the early leave do?

Residency visas will be extended automatically if they expire while they are outside the country.

Are there any communication platforms with the Ministry during early leave? Workers benefiting from the initiative can contact while abroad with the National Call Centre via ask_us@171.ae

Meanwhile, the UAE Government  held a regular media briefing on Monday in Abu Dhabi on the COVID-19 crisis in the country.

Dr Farida Al Hosani, official spokesperson of the UAE health sector, announced that 277 new cases of coronavirus were detected by testing people exposed to previously recorded cases, adding that the total number of coronavirus cases in the UAE stood at 2,076.