Bouncing Cheques, Part II
Once we had been to the bank, we went to Farook’s office, where Bobbie was waiting. Bobbie isn’t her name, but it’s as close as Farook can come to the actual Tagalog name.
Farook is a fairly typical Dubai small businessman. Dubai sets, for every business, a limit on the number of employees it may retain, a number that depends on the business. For example, businesses that obviously need at least four employees can usually apply to employ six with no problem. For employees seven and eight, the owner must spend time providing the authorities with some justification for why the company needs the extra employees, but, with a patient owner, a few more permits will generally be issued. At some point, the authorities will say that the business is fully staffed.
Farook, after extensive negotiation, managed to get the absolute maximum number of permits for his business, then sold all the work visas. He is also willing to provide, for a price, his two visit visas. as soon as they become available. Farook expects that the people who work for him will provide their own visas, purchased from someone like he was when he first opened his business.
Farook has been known to promise, ‘You can work for me on your visit visa as a test. If you do good work, then before your visit visa expires, I will give you a work visa.’ Only he has no work visas to give.
The UAE, like most countries, has several kinds of visa. The tourist visa is officially good for 30 days, but some tourist visas have a 30-day grace period. A visit visa, issued to immediate family members of people with work visas, and to recruits coming to interview for a job, is good for 60 days with an additional 30 days available for an additional fee. Working with a tourist or visit visa is strictly prohibited. A work visa is good for three years and allows the holder to engage in gainful employment as a temporary, migrant worker. Work visas are called ‘permanent visas,’ but, of course, they aren’t.
Bobbie has been working for Farook for two months. She received her first month’s salary on time, and should have received her second month’s salary on 30 April. Farook had planned to pay her when he cashed the cheque post-dated to 30 April, only the cheque bounced. So Bobbie hasn’t been paid for April. Farook’s phone bill was also due 30 April, so his phone has been cut off.
‘What kind of visa do you have?’ I asked. ‘I have a visit visa.’ ‘And you’ve been here three months?’ ‘No, only two months.’ ‘Then you can extend the visa by one month by paying Dh 500.’ (About €90).
Farook called immigration, and they said that Bobbie needed to have her sponsor extend the visa. ‘Go,’ Farook said. ‘We should take her,’ I said. So we drove Bobbie to the company where she bought her visit visa. Farook gave her Dh 550, and dropped her off.
Immediately, Farook’s phone rang. ‘This is a visit visa, but we are a tourist company, and it is not possible to extend a visit visa issued by a tourist company.’ Translation: it’s a tourist visa, good for 30 days with a 30-day grace period. ‘We can renew the visa for Dh 1,300.’
Farook promised to pay the cost of Bobbie’s visa, and owes her salary for April, but, as of current date, that Dh 550 left him with a billfold holding nothing but a bounced cheque. Bobbie’s April salary would cover the cost of her visa, but Farook doesn’t have it, and Bobbie is angry.
‘I pay her all I owe, but not today. When I get money I pay her. But she so angry, I think I not want her for employee anymore, so khalas.’ I.e., ‘Finished.’
Bobbie called again to say there’s no point in her remaining at the visa office, and she wants Farook to pick her up. ‘I cannot. I am very busy this afternoon.’
Bobbie kept calling, but Farook no longer answered when he saw who it was.
So Farook droped me off, and went to pick up his youngest son from kindergarten, leaving Bobbie stranded at the company that sells visit visas.
Farook is a fairly typical Dubai small businessman. Dubai sets, for every business, a limit on the number of employees it may retain, a number that depends on the business. For example, businesses that obviously need at least four employees can usually apply to employ six with no problem. For employees seven and eight, the owner must spend time providing the authorities with some justification for why the company needs the extra employees, but, with a patient owner, a few more permits will generally be issued. At some point, the authorities will say that the business is fully staffed.
Farook, after extensive negotiation, managed to get the absolute maximum number of permits for his business, then sold all the work visas. He is also willing to provide, for a price, his two visit visas. as soon as they become available. Farook expects that the people who work for him will provide their own visas, purchased from someone like he was when he first opened his business.
Farook has been known to promise, ‘You can work for me on your visit visa as a test. If you do good work, then before your visit visa expires, I will give you a work visa.’ Only he has no work visas to give.
The UAE, like most countries, has several kinds of visa. The tourist visa is officially good for 30 days, but some tourist visas have a 30-day grace period. A visit visa, issued to immediate family members of people with work visas, and to recruits coming to interview for a job, is good for 60 days with an additional 30 days available for an additional fee. Working with a tourist or visit visa is strictly prohibited. A work visa is good for three years and allows the holder to engage in gainful employment as a temporary, migrant worker. Work visas are called ‘permanent visas,’ but, of course, they aren’t.
Bobbie has been working for Farook for two months. She received her first month’s salary on time, and should have received her second month’s salary on 30 April. Farook had planned to pay her when he cashed the cheque post-dated to 30 April, only the cheque bounced. So Bobbie hasn’t been paid for April. Farook’s phone bill was also due 30 April, so his phone has been cut off.
‘What kind of visa do you have?’ I asked. ‘I have a visit visa.’ ‘And you’ve been here three months?’ ‘No, only two months.’ ‘Then you can extend the visa by one month by paying Dh 500.’ (About €90).
Farook called immigration, and they said that Bobbie needed to have her sponsor extend the visa. ‘Go,’ Farook said. ‘We should take her,’ I said. So we drove Bobbie to the company where she bought her visit visa. Farook gave her Dh 550, and dropped her off.
Immediately, Farook’s phone rang. ‘This is a visit visa, but we are a tourist company, and it is not possible to extend a visit visa issued by a tourist company.’ Translation: it’s a tourist visa, good for 30 days with a 30-day grace period. ‘We can renew the visa for Dh 1,300.’
Farook promised to pay the cost of Bobbie’s visa, and owes her salary for April, but, as of current date, that Dh 550 left him with a billfold holding nothing but a bounced cheque. Bobbie’s April salary would cover the cost of her visa, but Farook doesn’t have it, and Bobbie is angry.
‘I pay her all I owe, but not today. When I get money I pay her. But she so angry, I think I not want her for employee anymore, so khalas.’ I.e., ‘Finished.’
Bobbie called again to say there’s no point in her remaining at the visa office, and she wants Farook to pick her up. ‘I cannot. I am very busy this afternoon.’
Bobbie kept calling, but Farook no longer answered when he saw who it was.
So Farook droped me off, and went to pick up his youngest son from kindergarten, leaving Bobbie stranded at the company that sells visit visas.
posted by Dubai@Random at 10:56 pm
4 Comments:
Bobbie's story breaks my heart. I am terrified to imagine how many other 'Bobbie's' there are in the UAE, suffering the same scams...
Bobbie should have been grateful to Farook for paying her at least one months salary. i am sure there are plenty of Bobbie's countrymen , who are starving in their country. She is lucky compared to them and should not be greedy for more and more. I support Farook in finishing her
Welcome the the life of thousands of Filipino, Chinese, Indian...
And the "funny" thing is that they cannot complain to the gov as they would be put in jail for working illegally.
Now I wonder if the anonymous is imitating an asshole or really is one. Anyway, some do think like that.
Farook,this anonymous character and simiar such locals who have been enjoying the fruits of other people's labour...having never gotten their hands dirty on real work...should at least know that poetic justice will take care of their asses too ,one day.How long are u guys going to survive as leeches on others?
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