UAE PRO Services News: Week of 21–27 September 2026

This was an enforcement week rather than a rule-change week. No new visa or residency rules were announced by ICP or GDRFA Dubai between 21 and 27 September. Instead, MoHRE released its first-half figures on fake Emiratisation, a labour court in Abu Dhabi showed how collective wage claims are being settled, and the ministry put out a fresh fraud warning aimed squarely at the people who deal with it most: employers, HR teams and PRO staff. With September payroll due on Thursday, this issue also flags the one hard deadline on the calendar.

If you missed the start of the month, our roundup for 1–6 September covered the Nafis changes and the end of the midday work ban.

1. MoHRE flags 377 fake Emiratisation cases across 266 companies

The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation said on 23 September that it had identified 377 cases of “fake Emiratisation” at 266 private-sector companies during the first half of 2026. The cases were picked up through the ministry’s field inspections and its digital monitoring systems, and legal action has been taken against the companies concerned, according to the statement carried by the Emirates News Agency (WAM).

MoHRE was careful to frame the cases as limited in scope rather than a widespread practice. It also restated its definition: fake Emiratisation means registering an Emirati citizen with an establishment and issuing a work permit and employment contract without a genuine employment relationship or actual job duties, whether to hit Emiratisation targets on paper or to draw government support that the company is not entitled to.

The action was taken under Cabinet Decision No. 43 of 2025, which covers administrative violations and penalties connected with the programmes of the Emirati Talent Competitiveness Council (Nafis).

What the penalties look like

WAM’s statement did not list fine amounts. Gulf News, reporting on the same announcement on 23 September, set out the penalty bands under the Cabinet decision. We reproduce them here as reported, not as an official schedule:

Gulf News also reported that MoHRE carried out about 212,000 inspection visits in the first half of 2026 using an AI-assisted system to focus on higher-risk companies, and that the number of establishments found breaching labour legislation fell 15 per cent against the same period of 2025.

This roundup does not repeat how the targets are calculated or which companies are in scope. That is covered in full in our guide to Emiratisation rules and targets in the UAE.

MoHRE asked citizens and the public to report suspected cases through its smart app, its website, or the call centre on 600590000, and urged Emiratis not to accept arrangements where they are registered for jobs without performing any work.

2. Deepfake scams impersonating MoHRE: the ministry’s warning

On 23 September MoHRE issued an awareness warning that fraudsters may use deepfake technology to produce fake videos, voice recordings and images that appear to come from the ministry, its officials or its employees. The aim, the ministry said, is to push recipients into sharing personal or banking details, clicking malicious links, or transferring money. The warning was reported by both Khaleej Times and Gulf News; at the time of writing we could not locate the original post on an official MoHRE page, so we attribute it to that reporting.

PRO and HR teams deal with MoHRE constantly, which makes them a natural target for a convincing “ministry” voice note asking for an urgent payment or login.

3. Abu Dhabi Labour Court recovers Dh7.8 million for 948 workers

The Abu Dhabi Labour Court recovered Dh7,811,933 in outstanding dues for 948 workers after resolving three collective labour cases, as reported on 21 September by The National and Khaleej Times, citing the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department. Khaleej Times reported that the recovery was achieved within three months, from total claims of Dh12.3 million.

Of the 948 workers, 457 were paid in full and 491 received partial payments, with the balance placed on structured instalment plans. The money was collected through judicial deposits and direct amicable settlements, in a joint effort between the court, MoHRE and the parties involved. The reports note that the settlements allowed the affected workers to keep their jobs with the companies concerned.

The same coverage restated MoHRE’s first-half figures: 185,793 labour disputes were settled amicably in H1 2026, or 98.6 per cent of the total, with only 2,481 cases (1.4 per cent) referred to the courts. The National noted that MoHRE’s authority to adjudicate claims of up to Dh50,000 directly is a key reason most disputes never reach a judge.

Employees with an unpaid-wage issue can raise it through MoHRE’s channels, including the labour claims and advisory line on 80084. For the steps, see our guide on how to file a MoHRE complaint. If the dispute is at the end of employment, our end-of-service gratuity guide covers what should be in the final settlement.

4. Deadline: September salaries are due on Thursday 1 October

Since 1 June 2026, Ministerial Resolution No. 340 of 2026 has set the first day of each calendar month as the single due date for the previous month’s wages, paid through WPS or another MoHRE-approved system. That puts the due date for September payroll on Thursday 1 October.

We are not re-explaining the whole framework here — our WPS explainer owns that. The points that matter this week, as reported by Gulf News when the resolution was announced in May:

A company counts as compliant if it transfers at least 85 per cent of total wages due on time. The practical risk for PRO teams is the day-5 step: a suspension of new work permits in the middle of a hiring round will hold up visas you have already promised to candidates.

5. Also this week: a study on the four-and-a-half-day week

The National reported on 26 September on a Zayed University study, published in the International Social Science Journal, of employees working a four-and-a-half-day week. Of the 155 respondents, mostly from the public sector and education, 70.9 per cent said they felt more motivated, 73.6 per cent reported better work-life balance, and 37 per cent said their working days had become more stressful. The researchers themselves cautioned that the sample does not represent the whole UAE labour market.

This is research, not regulation: private-sector working hours are unchanged. Any change to working patterns should be reflected in employment contracts — see our guide to MoHRE contract types.

This week at a glance

Questions from this week