Ministerial Resolution No. 729 of came into effect on 4 December 2017 which re-established categories that companies fall under depending on the percentage of skilled employees and UAE nationals employed by the company:
Class 1: fishing boats owned by UAE nationals and small and medium establishments (subject to certain conditions);
Class 2(A): Companies where at least 40% of the workforce are skilled workers and have a cultural diversity percentage of at least 50% (i.e. where at least 50% of employees are UAE nationals);
Class 2(B): Companies where between 10%-40% of the employees are skilled and have a cultural diversity percentage at least 50% [NOTE: Companies which have a maximum of 3 employees automatically fall under 2(B). Similarly, companies which have 4-10 employees and have a cultural diversity percentage of at least 50% also fall under 2(B)];
Class 2 (C): Companies where between 5%-10% of the employees are skilled and have a cultural diversity percentage of at least 50%;
Class 2 (D): Companies where less than 5% of employees are skilled and have a cultural diversity percentage of less than 50%;
Class 3: Companies found to be in violation of certain duties (such as human trafficking, employing illegal employees, falsifying Emiratisation percentages, etc.) fall under Class 3.
Higher categories can expect to pay lower fees for work permits issued through the Ministry of Human Resources (“MOL”).