Higher education practitioners: living and working in the UAE
Type
E-journal
Date
8 Jul 2013
Jurisdiction
United Arab Emirates
Taxonomy
Contract & Conditions of Employment, Termination of Employment, Rights & Duties of Employees & Employers, Nationality & Citizenship, Immigration Issues Relating To Employment, Work Permits
Copyright
LexisNexis
Relevant company
Clyde & Co
Legal reference
Federal Law No. 8/1980
Analysis
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) legal system is a federal system comprising seven Emirates, of which Abu Dhabi and Dubai are the largest and best known. The right of non-Arabian Gulf Cooperation Council nationals to live and work in the UAE is subject to the requirement to be sponsored for a residence visa and labour card by an employer with an established corporate presence in the UAE. This requirement can cause logistical and practical issues for visiting lecturers or individuals whose role is to foster relations between a local institute and a more established institute of higher education in the US or elsewhere.
The UAE Government (particularly in Abu Dhabi) has tried to encourage foreign educational establishments with high reputations in their home countries to set up operations in the UAE (often offering government subsidies) or to develop relationships with local institutions in order to develop the educational services available in country. The focus is very much on the transfer and sharing of know how and the development of the national Emirati population. Currently 75% of the UAE's native population are young people under the age of 25.