In the latest phase of the federal "Zero Government Bureaucracy" programme, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) on 9 February rolled out AI-powered services that eliminate nearly all in-person visits for work-permit, quota and contract approvals. According to MoHRE, more than 4 million labour transactions a year will now be processed via a single online interface, with some routine permits receiving instant approval.
Key features include a self-service dashboard that pre-populates employer data, unified e-payments across federal and emirate-level entities, and an AI engine that flags anomalies for manual review—reducing average processing time by up to 95 per cent. Employers will upload contracts, health-insurance proof and Emiratisation compliance records digitally; physical documents and stamps have been scrapped except in exceptional cases.
![UAE Labour Ministry Goes Fully Digital, Slashes Work-Permit Processing to Minutes]()
Organisations navigating these new digital requirements can streamline compliance by engaging VisaHQ, whose UAE specialists assist with document digitisation, API mapping and real-time application monitoring. Their online portal (https://www.visahq.com/united-arab-emirates/) mirrors MoHRE’s end-to-end workflow, giving employers a single window to submit contracts, health-insurance certificates and other supporting data while tracking approval statuses across multiple government platforms.
For global mobility managers the impact is tangible: new-hire onboarding can commence within hours of offer acceptance, shrinking project lead times and accommodation outlays. Multinationals are advised to map internal HR systems to MoHRE’s API to enable straight-through processing and to train PROs on revised rejection codes generated by the AI filters.
The overhaul dovetails with earlier GDRFA moves to digitise residence-visa renewals and Emirates ID issuance, signalling the UAE’s intent to become a "paperless" jurisdiction by 2027. Companies that still rely on legacy, manual PRO workflows risk delayed approvals and non-compliance penalties as the ministry phases out counter services.
Key features include a self-service dashboard that pre-populates employer data, unified e-payments across federal and emirate-level entities, and an AI engine that flags anomalies for manual review—reducing average processing time by up to 95 per cent. Employers will upload contracts, health-insurance proof and Emiratisation compliance records digitally; physical documents and stamps have been scrapped except in exceptional cases.
Organisations navigating these new digital requirements can streamline compliance by engaging VisaHQ, whose UAE specialists assist with document digitisation, API mapping and real-time application monitoring. Their online portal (https://www.visahq.com/united-arab-emirates/) mirrors MoHRE’s end-to-end workflow, giving employers a single window to submit contracts, health-insurance certificates and other supporting data while tracking approval statuses across multiple government platforms.
For global mobility managers the impact is tangible: new-hire onboarding can commence within hours of offer acceptance, shrinking project lead times and accommodation outlays. Multinationals are advised to map internal HR systems to MoHRE’s API to enable straight-through processing and to train PROs on revised rejection codes generated by the AI filters.
The overhaul dovetails with earlier GDRFA moves to digitise residence-visa renewals and Emirates ID issuance, signalling the UAE’s intent to become a "paperless" jurisdiction by 2027. Companies that still rely on legacy, manual PRO workflows risk delayed approvals and non-compliance penalties as the ministry phases out counter services.
