Hiring a maid and other types of domestic workers is always a nice step to ease up the chores in the household. By hiring help, owners can focus their attention on other important things.
Hiring a helper is key component to making life run smoothly. However, one must pay attention to the number of scams and risks when hiring a domestic helper. Maids are limited to working for only one family, the one that sponsors their visa. The best advice is not to hire part time helpers, since one might be faced with a fine or even prison.
There are strict and specific laws for domestic help, such as only people from India, Sri Lanka, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Philippines and Bangladesh can be hired. Some tips when hiring a maid are: be clear about the duties, working hours and time off, keep valuable things in safe lock, educate your helper for certain devices as they might be new to them, be specific what you will and what you won?t provide. Once families decide to hire a maid, they can either use a registered agency (recommended, since it is the safest way), reference from a friend, or at community notice boards.
Domestic Workers Automatic Benefits
Some of the common provisions and things that the sponsor must provide for their domestic worker are the following. All these are written into the contract in which both parties need to sign.
-The helper must have a room with bed, linen, wardrobe, towels, and curtains
-Sometimes, a bathroom is required, as well as separate cooking area
-TV with channels from their country
-Allowance for food
-One day off per week
-Basic toiletries (soap, shampoo, toothpaste)
-Cell phone with fixed monthly allowance
-Health and dental treatment
-Internet access
-Air ticket to their home, one month leave during the year
Steps and Procedures For Employing Domestic Workers
In order to hire a domestic helper, families must follow the required steps in this order:
1. Apply for residence visa (before the maid enters the country).
2. Apply for medical fitness report (once your maid is in the country).
3. Apply for residence stamp on her/his passport.
4. Issue domestic worker card.
In order to obtain a visa for the maid, the head of the family must apply (provided he has a monthly salary higher than 6,000 or 5,000 + accommodation). The sponsor must provide salary certificate, accommodation contract, typed application form obtained from an authorized typing office, passport, copy of maid?s passport and 3 passport size/form photos of the maid. Once the sponsor obtains the typed application (the cost is 110 AED + fees), the next step is to go to the general directorate of Residency and foreign affairs and apply for maid?s visa. After the sponsor receives the visa, he can send either an original or a copy to his maid.
The next step is to apply for medical fitness report, done within the first 30 days after the maid has entered the country. There are 13 facilities in Dubai where one can apply for a medical report. The maid will have to go through various tests and screening, including HIV, pregnancy, Leprosy, Hepatitis and Syphilis. Sponsors are advised to keep their certificate as proof of vaccination, as they will need it for renewing the visa.
Once the medical is done, all that is left is residence stamp and domestic working card. This is done at DNRD branch, at the residency section. There sponsors declare salary, and sign a contract with their maid. The contract is done in 3 printouts. The stamp is valid for one year. After the period expires, sponsors need to renew their maid?s stamp.
Visa Renewal
Once a year, sponsors must renew the visa for their maids. Steps are same as in the procedure for visa application. Maids once again go through all tests and screening, and same fees are paid as for visa application. Renewal application + medical fitness report are submitted to any DNRD branch. New contract between the sponsor and the maid is signed.
How to Cancel a Maid?s Visa
If the sponsor decides to cancel the visa for his maid, he needs to go to DNRD or immigration department typist, and ask for a form for visa cancellation. Other documents required are sponsor?s passport, maid?s passport (copy or original), one way airplane ticket for the maid, and maid?s labor card. All these documents are then submitted at the airport on departure day, at the airport immigration counter.
Minimum Salaries
While the salary can be debated between the maid and the sponsor, some countries set minimum for domestic workers from their countries: Indonesia 800 AED, Philippines 1,400 AED, Sri Lanka 825 AED, India 1,100 AED, and Indonesia 800 AED.
Automatic benefits are awesome if followed by the sponsors…………so sad that it wasn’t.
🙁
Wow,,,its fantastic rules,,,,we’re sad to hear about the salary, they’re not following 1,400 ead a month,,, we’re still struggling for this,,,and rooms ,own toilet, no privacy,,,,
Wow! Very nice f followed maids life even far from thier family. But like me no day off no cp no Internet .its hard. Kailangan ko pang humingi ng tulong sa mga kababayan ko para ako mag karoon ng cp na maka access ng Internet…Hay nako kailan kaya mag bago ang mga among ganito.kahit birthday. Pasko,new year o kahit Muslim holiday kayod parin.sana mapansin at isa isahin ng gobyerno na inspectionin ang mga katulong na walng magawa .maganda ang buhay kapag yan ay natutupad lahat. Maraming Salamat
ang ganda ng rules but ang nd mganda ang sponsored d nmn sinusunod anh rules…
ask q lng po kung dapat b tlga n every year ang vacation ng housemaid lalon po at direct hired nmn aq s knila..ok nmn po lahat..nsusunod ung contract q..ang hndi q lng po alam n kung dpat b tlga n everh year ang vacation..kc dati ngconplain aq s knila about s vacation q..ang sabi nila hndi nmn daw law un..bkit po ung iba every year nmn
.depende lng po b s amu yon kung pagbabakasyunin k..salamat po
Ask kolang po makakuha ba aqo ng gratuity sa mga amo q kc pacancelna aqo 4years aqo sa kanila thanks
Ask kolang po makakuha ba aqo ng gratuity sa mga amo q kc pacancelna aqo 4years aqo sa kanila thanks