Meridian · Freshness tracker

What's changed.

Dated updates to visa, tax, residency, citizenship, housing, and labour policy across every country tracked. Every entry cites its primary source and the date we last verified it.

Subscribe via RSS ↗ · 3 entries shown

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Category All categoriesVisa & immigrationResidencyCitizenshipTaxationLabourHousingHealthcareOther
In force 1 Sept 2024
In force Labour

Wages Protection System reformed — broader coverage and dispute remedies

The Wages Protection System (WPS) — mandatory salary-payment-routing through licensed banks/exchange houses — was reformed September 2024 to cover broader categories of private-sector employment, with strengthened employer-penalty regime for delayed payment and a dedicated MOHRE wage-dispute resolution stream.

Who it affects: Private-sector employers and employees subject to MOHRE oversight.

Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 1 Jan 2024
In force Labour

Emiratisation quotas expanded to companies with 20–49 employees

Cabinet Decision 44/2023 expanded Emiratisation requirements (mandatory hiring of UAE nationals at 2%/year of skilled workforce) to private-sector companies with 20–49 employees in 14 designated activities (banking, insurance, healthcare, education, technology, etc.) from 2024. Non-compliance penalties: AED 96,000 per unfilled position annually. Indirectly affects skilled-foreign-worker hiring competition.

Who it affects: Mid-sized private-sector employers in 14 designated economic activities.

Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation ↗ · UAE Government Portal ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 1 Jan 2023
In force Labour

Mandatory unemployment insurance scheme launched

Federal Decree-Law 13 of 2022 introduced mandatory unemployment insurance from January 2023. Employees pay AED 5/month (Category 1, basic salary < AED 16,000) or AED 10/month (Category 2, ≥ AED 16,000) for 3-month income protection of up to 60% of basic salary upon involuntary unemployment. Penalty for non-enrolment AED 400 + AED 200/month.

Who it affects: All UAE residents employed in the private and federal sectors.

Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation ↗ · UAE Government Portal ↗ · verified 2026-04-19