The UAE’s General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) has quietly rolled out tougher background-checking and document-verification steps for applicants seeking the five-year Green Residency freelance visa. Lieutenant-General Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri, Director-General of the GDRFA in Dubai, told local media that the move follows “isolated cases of visa trading” in which third-party agents attempted to sell permits on the black market. The extra scrutiny includes cross-checking freelance licences with professional regulators, requiring proof of at least AED 360,000 (≈ US $98,000) in annual income for certain categories, and spot interviews to confirm that applicants really intend to work in the declared occupation.
Officials stressed that the programme itself has not been suspended. New permits are still being issued daily through the ICP smart portal and the Tejarati one-stop shops at Dubai’s Al Manara, Al Twar and Deira centres. However, average processing time has risen from 5–7 working days to 10–14, causing delays for some international contractors hoping to start projects in Q1 2026. Recruiters say the backlog is most acute in design, marketing and IT, where demand for flexible talent is strongest.
![UAE tightens auditing of Green Residency freelance visas to curb misuse]()
For companies, the change means HR teams must budget more lead time before a freelancer can legally start work on-site in the Emirates. Travel managers are also advised to double-check that contractors have both an entry permit and the new “licence verification” barcode on their Emirates ID before booking flights. Failure to do so could trigger fines of AED 50,000 per violation under the labour law’s anti-clandestine-working clauses, consultants warn.
From a policy perspective, analysts see the clamp-down as part of a broader recalibration of the UAE’s post-pandemic labour market. The government wants to keep the door open for high-skilled independents while ensuring that the freelance channel does not become a loophole for low-wage workers. With more than 100,000 Green Residency visas issued since 2022, tightening controls now may prevent a larger compliance crisis later, say observers at Oxford Economics Middle East.
Officials stressed that the programme itself has not been suspended. New permits are still being issued daily through the ICP smart portal and the Tejarati one-stop shops at Dubai’s Al Manara, Al Twar and Deira centres. However, average processing time has risen from 5–7 working days to 10–14, causing delays for some international contractors hoping to start projects in Q1 2026. Recruiters say the backlog is most acute in design, marketing and IT, where demand for flexible talent is strongest.
For companies, the change means HR teams must budget more lead time before a freelancer can legally start work on-site in the Emirates. Travel managers are also advised to double-check that contractors have both an entry permit and the new “licence verification” barcode on their Emirates ID before booking flights. Failure to do so could trigger fines of AED 50,000 per violation under the labour law’s anti-clandestine-working clauses, consultants warn.
From a policy perspective, analysts see the clamp-down as part of a broader recalibration of the UAE’s post-pandemic labour market. The government wants to keep the door open for high-skilled independents while ensuring that the freelance channel does not become a loophole for low-wage workers. With more than 100,000 Green Residency visas issued since 2022, tightening controls now may prevent a larger compliance crisis later, say observers at Oxford Economics Middle East.
