Employer terminated me right after approving my leave due to company restructuring, marked my visa cancellation as “resignation”
I’m currently in an active MOHRE complaint with my employer in Dubai and I honestly want to know if anyone else has experienced something similar. Earlier this month, HR informed me they needed to transfer my visa due to Emiratisation requirements. I specifically told them from the very beginning that I had a licensure/board exam scheduled in my country because the Dubai exam was cancelled and relocated.
My manager already knew about my board exam plans long before this. He even approved/sign an IOU for my review school tuition in Dubai.
Here’s where things started getting weird:
HR initially told me the visa transfer would be processed before my flight.
Then suddenly I was told management put the transfer “on hold.”
A few weeks later HR said the transfer was continuing again.
During this process, they asked me to sign a visa cancellation document, presenting it as a normal administrative requirement for the transfer. I wasn’t given a copy, wasn’t allowed to properly review it, and the page shown to me was in Arabic while I was in the middle of a virtual meeting. My manager hasn't spoken to me about this and claims he has no idea.
Later I asked the HR if my manager knew about this and he showed me the email that was sent to my manager, found out the document classified my separation as “resignation by employee.” I NEVER resigned.
Fast forward to May 19:
2:34 PM — I submitted my leave form. HR calls and tells me my annual leave + study leave were approved.
3:38 PM — HR calls again and suddenly tells me I’m terminated due to “company restructuring.”
No warning. No consultation. Nothing.
That same day I learned management had already pushed through the visa cancellation under the “resignation” classification. I immediately filed a MOHRE complaint that night because I realized what was happening.
The next day they presented me with:
an unsigned termination letter,
a settlement computation with errors,
and pressured me to sign and close my MOHRE case before receiving payment.
Some things I noticed:
My contract was changed in the settlement from fixed-term to “unlimited”.
My salary computation used a 31-day divisor instead of 30.
They refused to give me a copy of the visa cancellation document I signed.
Another former employee apparently experienced the same “visa transfer/resignation” setup.
What really bothers me is the timing.
They only terminated me AFTER:
my leave was approved,
my study leave was documented,
and management had confirmation of my exam travel schedule.
It honestly feels like they waited until they had everything documented, then terminated me before the leave period started.
As of today my visa and Emirates ID are still active because the MOHRE complaint appears to have stopped the cancellation process for now.
Has anyone dealt with something similar in the UAE? Especially the “resignation by employee” classification during employer termination? Is this really the standard protocol for transfer due to the Emiratisation Law?
Would appreciate any advice or experiences.