The UAE's Ministry of Labour said the decision to temporarily suspend the good conduct certificate was made following a flood of complaints from businesses that were unable to process visas properly.
"The feedback we received from clients of the ministry was that the process of getting the certificate is delaying applications," Dr Omar Al Nuaimi, an assistant undersecretary at the ministry, told The National a day after the suspension was announced.
The rule was introduced on February 4, requiring that anyone moving to the UAE present a police document from their home nation demonstrating they had no criminal history or convictions.
The ministry said it has paused this after businesses and candidates struggled to secure them.
“They were facing difficulties and we wanted to make sure we don’t delay visa applications, so we decided to suspend and restudy how we apply the certificate. It is a temporary suspension,” Dr Al Nuaimi said.
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During the suspension, the ministry will be studying the procedures for acquiring the certificate. “We are in touch with the countries of origin on how we can speed up the process, how we can standardise it,” said the assistant undersecretary.
“Because clients were not clear on the certificate itself, we wanted to make sure to standardise the process and make sure we apply it in a way that doesn’t have a negative impact on doing business in the UAE."
Those who were already planning to apply for the certificate or started doing so, can continue with the procedure despite the suspension.
“Starting from yesterday, we are not requiring the certificate to be attached to the application, but those that have already been submitted will be processed,” said Dr Al Nuaimi.
Those who could not start new roles because of the certificate can now go ahead and start working, he said.
The decision concerns the ministry’s clients, the private sector. The assistant undersecretary did not know how the move applied to the public sector, where work visas are usually issued through immigration departments.
As for the need for a good conduct certificate for employees who are transferring jobs within the UAE, he said that it is “an internal company procedure and we don’t interfere in that. This is up to companies even if there is an extension [of the suspension].”
Murtaza Khan, a partner at the international immigration firm Fragomen Worldwide, said companies who waited until the certificate came into action on Feb 4 are most likely the ones who suffered teething issues and delays.
“The UAE Government obviously announced the move ahead of time. That was a good move that allowed for some preparatory time,” he said.
However, in some countries, where the process to obtain the certificate is long and involves many authorities and people must attend police stations in person for biometrics, they require more time to introduce the procedure.
“It is very important to avoid speculation. The Government has not given a specific date for when the need for the certificate will be reinstated, but what would be helpful is if, like the first time, they give a month or two notice,” he said.
“That will be welcomed by the private sector because all they need is time to plan for it."
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
Friday's schedule at the Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
GP3 qualifying, 10:15am
Formula 2, practice 11:30am
Formula 1, first practice, 1pm
GP3 qualifying session, 3.10pm
Formula 1 second practice, 5pm
Formula 2 qualifying, 7pm
The struggle is on for active managers
David Einhorn closed out 2018 with his biggest annual loss ever for the 22-year-old Greenlight Capital.
The firm’s main hedge fund fell 9 per cent in December, extending this year’s decline to 34 percent, according to an investor update viewed by Bloomberg.
Greenlight posted some of the industry’s best returns in its early years, but has stumbled since losing more than 20 per cent in 2015.
Other value-investing managers have also struggled, as a decade of historically low interest rates and the rise of passive investing and quant trading pushed growth stocks past their inexpensive brethren. Three Bays Capital and SPO Partners & Co., which sought to make wagers on undervalued stocks, closed in 2018. Mr Einhorn has repeatedly expressed his frustration with the poor performance this year, while remaining steadfast in his commitment to value investing.
Greenlight, which posted gains only in May and October, underperformed both the broader market and its peers in 2018. The S&P 500 Index dropped 4.4 per cent, including dividends, while the HFRX Global Hedge Fund Index, an early indicator of industry performance, fell 7 per cent through December. 28.
At the start of the year, Greenlight managed $6.3 billion in assets, according to a regulatory filing. By May, the firm was down to $5.5bn.
Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
Emergency phone numbers in the UAE
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
Moonfall
Director: Rolan Emmerich
Stars: Patrick Wilson, Halle Berry
Rating: 3/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESmartCrowd%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2018%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESiddiq%20Farid%20and%20Musfique%20Ahmed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDubai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%20%2F%20PropTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%24650%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2035%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeries%20A%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EVarious%20institutional%20investors%20and%20notable%20angel%20investors%20(500%20MENA%2C%20Shurooq%2C%20Mada%2C%20Seedstar%2C%20Tricap)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
