The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) has put employers on notice with fresh guidance detailing the ten most frequent labour-law violations that prompt immediate audits—and hefty fines—under Federal Decree-Law 33 of 2021.
Topping the list is failure to meet Emiratisation quotas: private-sector firms with 50+ staff must have hired one Emirati by end-2024 and a second by end-2025. Other red flags include late salary payments, issuing work visas for a dormant company, falsifying absconding reports, and misusing the residency system.
![UAE issues compliance alert: 10 labour-law breaches that trigger instant MOHRE audits]()
Penalties range from AED 50,000 for illegal hiring to AED 5,000 for obstructing MOHRE inspectors. Over 5,400 violations were logged in the first half of 2025 alone, with inspectors empowered to suspend e-services, freeze new work-permit issuance and refer egregious cases to court.
For global mobility teams, the advisory reinforces the link between HR compliance and immigration status. An establishment card suspension instantly halts new work-visa processing, jeopardising project timelines and expatriate assignments. Employers should audit payroll, Emiratisation registration on the Nafis platform and visa-status tracking to avoid unplanned downtime.
The guidance also signals MOHRE’s heightened use of data analytics to spot anomalies such as sudden spikes in short-term contracts or mismatched salary transfers—meaning even unintentional errors could attract scrutiny.
Topping the list is failure to meet Emiratisation quotas: private-sector firms with 50+ staff must have hired one Emirati by end-2024 and a second by end-2025. Other red flags include late salary payments, issuing work visas for a dormant company, falsifying absconding reports, and misusing the residency system.
Penalties range from AED 50,000 for illegal hiring to AED 5,000 for obstructing MOHRE inspectors. Over 5,400 violations were logged in the first half of 2025 alone, with inspectors empowered to suspend e-services, freeze new work-permit issuance and refer egregious cases to court.
For global mobility teams, the advisory reinforces the link between HR compliance and immigration status. An establishment card suspension instantly halts new work-visa processing, jeopardising project timelines and expatriate assignments. Employers should audit payroll, Emiratisation registration on the Nafis platform and visa-status tracking to avoid unplanned downtime.
The guidance also signals MOHRE’s heightened use of data analytics to spot anomalies such as sudden spikes in short-term contracts or mismatched salary transfers—meaning even unintentional errors could attract scrutiny.
