Employment Disputes in the UAE: Unpaid Salary, Dismissal, Visa Not Cancelled
The three complaints we hear most from expats are the same in every sector: the last two months' salary have not been paid, the dismissal came by WhatsApp with no reason, and the visa has not been cancelled so the next employer cannot onboard. UAE employment law gives the employee real tools for all three. What loses cases is not the law but the first two weeks: documents not saved, a settlement signed under pressure, a complaint filed with the wrong authority or after the deadline.
First: which regime are you in?
- Mainland employers fall under federal labour law, and the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) is the authority. A complaint goes there first; only if no settlement is reached does the matter move to court.
- Free zone employers mostly have their own employment rules and their own authority for complaints, after which the emirate's courts take over. The procedure for your zone we confirm case by case.
- DIFC and ADGM employers are under their own common-law-based employment regimes with their own courts. MOHRE has no role there.
Filing with the wrong body costs weeks, and the deadlines for labour complaints are short.
The employee's first days
- Save everything before access disappears: contract and amendments, offer letter, payslips, bank statements showing salary, leave records, and correspondence about tasks and pay.
- Do not sign a "voluntary resignation", a "no claims" letter or a final settlement without understanding what it closes. Most of the time it closes most of the claim.
- Put the facts in writing: the date and manner of the dismissal notice, the unpaid amounts, any demand for your passport. Passport retention by an employer is not permitted as a general rule and is raised with the authority.
- File with the correct authority within the deadline. Talking to HR does not stop the clock.
- Check your visa status. A visa left uncancelled after termination blocks the next job and creates overstay risk.
The employer's side
Employers lose the same disputes for the mirror-image reasons: no registered contract, no written job description, no documented warnings, salary partly paid outside the wage protection system, termination by message rather than by notice. The remedy is procedure: notice in the prescribed form, a final settlement calculated and paid, visa cancellation within the required time, and prompt, substantive replies to the authority's requests. Withholding documents or the final settlement "until things are clarified" are separate violations.
Where the dispute goes
The authority first. MOHRE, the free zone authority, or the relevant DIFC or ADGM body. Registration of the complaint and an attempt at settlement are the mandatory first step for most disputes.
Then the court. The emirate's courts for mainland and free zone employers; the DIFC Courts or ADGM Courts for their own regimes. Claims for unpaid salary, compensation for dismissal, end-of-service benefits and other entitlements are decided there.
The police only where there is a criminal element: threats, violence, forgery. A labour dispute is not in itself a criminal matter.
Documents
The employment contract registered with the authority and all amendments; payslips and bank statements; dated correspondence; the termination notice; leave and sick-leave records; for the employer, signed warnings and disciplinary records. Foreign qualifications or certificates, if relevant to the case, need consular legalisation and a sworn Arabic translation: the UAE is not a party to the Hague Apostille Convention.
Deadlines
Time limits for labour complaints are limited and short; which apply to your case and regime we confirm on the current date. Delay is the most common reason a well-founded claim fails. If the conflict is obvious, take advice before the dismissal is finalised and before anything is signed, not after.
When the claim is already lost
- A final settlement or a no-claims letter was signed without reservation, and there is nothing to challenge the signature with.
- The deadline was missed.
- The relationship was never documented: cash salary, no contract, no way to prove the work.
- The employer has been liquidated and has no assets.
In those cases it is more honest to say so than to promise recovery.
Frequently asked questions
Can an employer dismiss without notice?
Grounds and procedure are set by law and the contract. Arbitrary dismissal has consequences for the employer; what they are depends on the regime and the facts.
The employer will not cancel my visa. What can I do?
That is a separate violation with its own remedies through the authority. Do not wait: your status affects whether you can work next.
Am I entitled to end-of-service benefits?
As a general rule yes, subject to the conditions in the law and the contract. The amount and calculation depend on the regime, length of service and the ground of termination; we calculate it from your documents, not a generic formula.
This is a general framework, not legal advice. UAE law changes, and procedures differ between emirates and free zones. We review each situation individually.