How to Transfer Employee Sponsorship in UAE

When an employee moves from one UAE employer to another, their visa sponsorship needs to formally transfer as well, and the sequencing of this transfer matters: a new employer generally cannot activate sponsorship for an employee until the current sponsor's cancellation has been formally confirmed by the relevant immigration authority.

The process typically starts with the current employer initiating cancellation, first through MOHRE to cancel the labour contract and work permit, and then through GDRFA or ICP to cancel the residence visa itself. Only once this cancellation is confirmed can the new employer begin the sponsorship process on their end, submitting a fresh work permit application through MOHRE and, depending on the employee's situation, either an entry permit or an in-country status change if the employee remains in the UAE between employers. Because employees cannot self-cancel or self-transfer a visa, both the outgoing and incoming employer roles are essential to completing the transfer correctly.

For employees who remain in the UAE throughout the transition, an in-country status change is generally the more efficient route, avoiding the need to exit and re-enter the country. This requires the previous sponsorship to be fully closed first, though, so gaps in timing between the old employer's cancellation and the new employer's application can occasionally leave an employee in a brief period without active sponsorship, which is worth planning around rather than assuming the transition will be instantaneous.

From the outgoing employer's side, completing the cancellation promptly is also what frees up that quota slot, allowing them to sponsor a replacement hire without delay, so there's a mutual incentive on both sides to move the transfer along without unnecessary delay: the departing employee wants continuity of their residency status, and the outgoing employer wants their quota slot released for a new hire. Given how many moving parts are involved, and how strictly the sequencing needs to be followed, sponsorship transfers are one of the more common transactions where using PRO support to coordinate both sides of the handoff pays off in avoided delays.