The UAE government has launched the “Work Bundle” to facilitate employee residency procedures and work permits in private sector companies.
The first phase of the initiative will be implemented in Dubai and will be gradually expanded to include other emirates.
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, gracefully announced,
"In our ongoing quest for government excellence, we have recently introduced the 'Zero Bureaucracy' initiative, aimed at streamlining procedures and enhancing efficiency within the federal government. In alignment with this vision, today marks the inaugural launch of the 'Work Bundle', a pioneering project designed to expedite, simplify, and streamline the processes related to residency and employment.”
His Highness further elaborated,
“The Work Bundle is set to reclaim 62 million working days previously devoted to the renewal of residencies and employment contracts within government frameworks. This project is expected to curtail 25 million procedures on an annual basis, thereby yielding substantial savings for both the governmental and private sectors. We would like to thank all federal and local entities for their invaluable collaboration in bringing this project to fruition. Our commitment to eradicating bureaucracy remains unwavering, to make people's lives easier and happier.”
The initiative aligns with the "Zero Bureaucracy" programme aimed to simplify and reduce government procedures and eliminate unnecessary requirements. This enhances levels of efficiency, quality, and flexibility in the UAE, supporting efforts to eliminate bureaucracy.
A single platform
The "Work Bundle" serves the business community by simplifying and accelerating the procedures for private sector companies. The project offers a single platform to complete employment services including renewal, cancellation, medical examination, and fingerprinting.
The initiative is a result of close cooperation between federal and local government entities to enable clients to complete their transactions in the fewest steps possible through digital platforms where the service is available.
The entities include the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship, Customs and Ports Security, the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai, and Dubai Health. The project is supported by the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism.
Digital transformation
The "Work Bundle" initiative significantly enhances the customer experience by consolidating five platforms into one, streamlining procedures from 8 services to a unified platform with 5 steps and 5 documents. The transformation reduces the number of required visits from 7 to just two, leading to a notable reduction in transaction completion time from 30 working days to 5 working days.
The project aims to annually cut 25 million procedures, 12.5 million visits, and 62.5 million working days, and will be initially implemented on the "Invest in Dubai" platform with plans for expansion across other government digital platforms in the near future.
The process for recruiting international employees involves a unified application, work permit issuance, and subsequent completion of residence procedures, including medical examination and Emirates ID card issuance. Renewal services involve the company owner completing the unified application, followed by the employee's medical examination and Emirates ID card issuance.
News Source: Emirates News Agency
