In a sweep announced on February 25, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) revoked the licences of 12 recruitment offices and shut down 230 social-media accounts that were advertising domestic-worker services without authorisation. Officials said 300 separate violations were logged in 2025 alone, ranging from forged visas to charging illegal placement fees.
![UAE Closes 12 Unlicensed Domestic-Worker Agencies, Shuts 230 Social-Media Recruiters]()
For families and global-mobility managers who need clarity on the correct entry or residency paperwork before hiring, VisaHQ offers step-by-step assistance with UAE visa applications and renewals, helping users avoid the very pitfalls cited by MoHRE. Their portal—https://www.visahq.com/united-arab-emirates/—lays out current document requirements, processing times and government fees, ensuring that both sponsors and workers stay fully compliant.
The crackdown follows repeated complaints from embassies and expatriate families about scams in which workers arrive on tourist visas, only to discover that promised jobs or salaries do not exist. Under the UAE Domestic Workers Law, fines of up to AED 200,000 and prison terms apply to unlicensed brokers as well as households that hire through them. MoHRE urged employers to use the government-backed Tadbeer centres or vetted private agencies, warning that hires made outside the legal channel may invalidate medical insurance and residency sponsorship, leaving families liable for overstay fines and repatriation costs. The ministry’s hotline 600590000 has been reinforced with multilingual staff to take reports of rogue ads on TikTok, Facebook Marketplace and WhatsApp groups. For global-mobility teams managing household staff for expatriate executives, the message is to audit agency partners immediately and secure MoHRE-approved contracts that include return-ticket guarantees, 180-day probation cover and dispute-resolution mechanisms. Failure to do so could expose employers to financial penalties and reputational damage, especially as the UAE increases labour-rights inspections in the run-up to COP 29. Analysts note that the enforcement drive also protects the UAE’s reputation as a safe destination for foreign domestic workers—a key consideration for multinational families relocating to Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
For families and global-mobility managers who need clarity on the correct entry or residency paperwork before hiring, VisaHQ offers step-by-step assistance with UAE visa applications and renewals, helping users avoid the very pitfalls cited by MoHRE. Their portal—https://www.visahq.com/united-arab-emirates/—lays out current document requirements, processing times and government fees, ensuring that both sponsors and workers stay fully compliant.
The crackdown follows repeated complaints from embassies and expatriate families about scams in which workers arrive on tourist visas, only to discover that promised jobs or salaries do not exist. Under the UAE Domestic Workers Law, fines of up to AED 200,000 and prison terms apply to unlicensed brokers as well as households that hire through them. MoHRE urged employers to use the government-backed Tadbeer centres or vetted private agencies, warning that hires made outside the legal channel may invalidate medical insurance and residency sponsorship, leaving families liable for overstay fines and repatriation costs. The ministry’s hotline 600590000 has been reinforced with multilingual staff to take reports of rogue ads on TikTok, Facebook Marketplace and WhatsApp groups. For global-mobility teams managing household staff for expatriate executives, the message is to audit agency partners immediately and secure MoHRE-approved contracts that include return-ticket guarantees, 180-day probation cover and dispute-resolution mechanisms. Failure to do so could expose employers to financial penalties and reputational damage, especially as the UAE increases labour-rights inspections in the run-up to COP 29. Analysts note that the enforcement drive also protects the UAE’s reputation as a safe destination for foreign domestic workers—a key consideration for multinational families relocating to Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
