Seeking for advice

To keep it very simple for you:

1) You worked for someone other than your sponsor.  This is illegal in the UAE
2) Your were caught and the case has been referred to the court

Basically what will happen now is the person whose house you were working in (not your sponsor), will be fined 50,000 dirhams and you will be deported & banned.

There is no resolution to your case unless it is a mistake and you can prove that you weren't working illegally.

Hi

I am not sure that Dubai is that draconian. Perhaps someone else could clarify if you are allowed to work for more than one employer provided that your sponsor gives you a Letter of No Objection. If you have such a letter, then the XTang's comment, "unless you can proved that you were not working illegally", come into effect.

It is extremely rare that police makes a visit to enquire about a maid's working status without a formal complaint from someone. I hope that someone is not your sponsor.

The Dhrs 50,000, deportation, etc is the maximum and not automatic. You need to speak with your employers in an honest and empathetic way. If you have had a good working relationship with them until now maybe they could intervene on your behalf. But remember they suffered the full cost of your visa and probably pay for all your accommodation etc., whilst the 2nd employer does not have any of those costs and the money they pay you can be seen by some as greed at the expense of your sponsor. Not fair if you think about it.

You should also URGENTLY contact your country's embassy.

Whilst the Dubai courts enforce laws as they must, they have been known to show sympathy where it is possible and abuse of the hospitality of the UAE is not in question. On the other hand, UAE is a tax free zone that relies on visa fees as part of its revenue. Undermining that would not be greeted with any sympathy.

I hope you find peace!

Upon reading your issue, i think its better to consult with an expert legal consultant. i personally recommend Khairallah advocates, they are affordable & experienced with this kind of issues.

Tonyde wrote:

Hi

I am not sure that Dubai is that draconian. Perhaps someone else could clarify if you are allowed to work for more than one employer provided that your sponsor gives you a Letter of No Objection. If you have such a letter, then the XTang's comment, "unless you can proved that you were not working illegally", come into effect.

This part I can clarify; you are NOT allowed to work for anyone other than your sponsor even with a letter of no objection.  It is in essence, the basic framework of the sponsorship system.  They have changed it a bit with freelancer visas but only for skilled professionals primarily in the creative fields but definitely not for housemaids.

The trick about the UAE is that they are very tolerant and willing to overlook many things.  However, once it finds it way into the legal system for whatever reason, as is the case with OP, things are not so tolerant.  For example, you hear stories of expats being arrested and deported for kissing in a public place but you also see people making out openly in expat dominated areas - it is really that one time your luck turns that you come up against the laws that exist (and are generally not enforced due to tolerance).