Summary
Air Arabia is hiring a Government Relations Officer in Sharjah. The role handles UAE government transactions, including employee visas, residence permits, work permits, licensing, document attestation, and airport access permits. It also maintains statutory records, monitors regulatory changes, and supports employees and internal teams with government procedures. Applicants must be UAE nationals, have at least 4 years of related experience, speak and write Arabic, and hold a valid UAE driving license and car.
The posting
As published on airarabia.com. Pulled from the employer's site and shown as they wrote it.
Job Purpose
Responsible for managing and facilitating the Company’s government relations, immigration, licensing, and regulatory transactions across relevant UAE authorities. Acts as a key liaison with government entities to process and resolve visa, work permit, residency, employee documentation, attestation of documents, airport access, and other statutory requirements, including complex cases. Ensures timely completion of government transactions, maintains regulatory compliance and accurate records, monitors changes in applicable regulations, and provides guidance to employees and internal stakeholders while supporting uninterrupted business operations.
Key Result Responsibilities
- Represent the Company before relevant government and regulatory authorities, including Immigration, MOHRE, ICP, GDRFA, Police, Courts, Embassies, Ministries, Municipalities, Airport Authorities, Free Zone Authorities, Licensing Authorities, and other official entities, as required.
- Establish and maintain effective working relationships with government authorities and key officials to facilitate timely processing of transactions, resolve exceptional cases, and support compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
- Liaise with MOHRE, ICP, GDRFA, Immigration, Free Zone Authorities, and other relevant government and security authorities to follow up and resolve visa, immigration, and security approval-related issues, including application rejections, delays, system blocks, discrepancies, fines, overstays, status irregularities, and cases requiring further clarification; provide the required documentation and clarification, escalate complex matters through appropriate official channels, and follow through until resolution.
- Keep abreast of changes in UAE immigration, licensing, and government regulations, and communicate updates to relevant stakeholders to ensure compliance with statutory requirements.
- Process employment visas, residence permits, visit visas, mission visas, work permits, visa renewals, status changes, cancellations, absconding, and related immigration transactions in accordance with Company policies and UAE regulations.
- Prepare, verify, and submit documentation required for immigration and other government-related transactions, ensuring accuracy, completeness, and compliance with regulatory requirements and established procedures.
- Monitor relevant government portals on a regular basis to track the status of visa applications and other official transactions; proactively investigate rejected, delayed, blocked, or pending applications and coordinate with the relevant authorities to ensure timely resolution.
- Undertake physical submissions, follow-ups, and collection of documents at government offices and other relevant authorities, where required, to facilitate and expedite the completion of official transactions.
- Coordinate and complete employee immigration formalities, including visa stamping, Emirates ID registration, medical fitness requirements, visa status changes, renewals, and cancellations, within established timelines.
- Coordinate the issuance, renewal, amendment, and cancellation of airport security passes, airside permits, and other operational access permits in liaison with Airport Authorities, Security departments, and other relevant stakeholders.
Key Result Responsibilities - Continued
- Provide guidance and support to employees on visa, immigration, Emirates ID, family sponsorship, and other government-related procedures, and accompany employees to government offices where necessary.
- Maintain accurate and up-to-date records of employee visas, Emirates IDs, passports, sponsorship details, airport passes, permits, and other statutory documents, proactively monitoring expiry dates and initiating renewals within the required timelines.
- Coordinate closely with the HR Employee Services team and other relevant stakeholders to ensure all employee documentation required for visa, immigration and government transactions is complete and submitted within the required timelines.
- Ensure all exiting employees are appropriately cleared from Immigration, Airport Authority, and other relevant government systems following resignation, termination, transfer, or other changes in employment status.
- Prepare and maintain periodic reports on visa processing, pending and exceptional cases, renewals, document expiries, government transactions, and compliance status, highlighting potential risks or delays requiring management attention.
- Coordinate with Legal, Government Affairs, HR, and relevant government authorities to support the resolution of employee-related matters involving disputes, court cases, absconding reports, deportation cases, police matters, and other legal or regulatory issues, while safeguarding the Company's interests.
- Process and coordinate the renewal, amendment, and maintenance of Company trade licences, establishment cards, immigration files and other statutory registrations to ensure regulatory compliance and uninterrupted business operations.
- Coordinate the attestation, notarization, legalization, and certification of Company and employee documents through relevant government authorities, embassies, consulates, and other authorized entities, as required.
- Coordinate and ensure the timely processing of government fees, fines, deposits, and other statutory payments relating to immigration, licensing, permits, and regulatory requirements, maintaining appropriate supporting documentation and records.
- Identify recurring issues or bottlenecks in government and immigration processes and recommend practical improvements to enhance processing efficiency, turnaround time, compliance, and employee experience.
- Maintain confidentiality and ensure the secure handling of identification documents, personal information, government records, and other sensitive documentation in accordance with Company requirements and applicable regulations.
Qualifications (Academic, training, languages)
- High School or Diploma in any stream is acceptable with needed administrative experience.
- Arabic Language is a must, fair English Language is acceptable. (spoken and written)
- Must possess valid UAE driving license & Car.
- Capable of understanding and classifying documents according to task requirements.
- Acceptable computer skills; Arabic typing is a must.
- Employs interpersonal skills and effective relations with external parties to facilitate work and execute tasks timely and cost-effectively.
- Willing to work on-call at a short notice and support in ad-hoc scenarios and emergency cases.
- Proven skills in identifying pitfalls and suggesting alternatives.
- Cost-oriented, possesses effective persuasive, problem solving and judgement skills.
- Ability to understand assignments and plan tasks according to priorities and logical order.
Work Experience
- 4+ years of related public relations working experience in a similar role in a mid-sized company in the UAE, preferably in the service industry.
- Extensive knowledge in the UAE Immigration and Labor regulations and corresponding procedures and formalities pertaining to visa sponsorship, residence and deportation.