Valid Reasons to File a MOHRE Complaint (And What Happens After)

If you’re reading this, something at work has gone wrong enough that you’re considering making it official. That’s a big step, and it helps to know before you file: what actually counts as a valid reason, what MOHRE can and can’t do about it, and what happens to your job and your visa once you press submit.

Do You Actually Have Grounds to File?

You don’t need a dramatic story to raise a legitimate labour concern. MOHRE recognizes a specific, defined set of grounds — if your situation matches one of these, you’re not overreacting by filing:

  • Unpaid salary or a disputed final settlement — your salary is late, partial, or your end-of-service payment doesn’t match what you’re owed
  • Unsafe or unfair working conditions — this covers real safety hazards as well as conditions that violate agreed working hours or environment standards
  • Harassment, discrimination, or bullying — mistreatment based on nationality, gender, religion, or any other protected characteristic, or a hostile work environment more generally
  • Threats or violence in the workplace — see the note below on where this actually gets handled
  • Your actual job doesn’t match your contract — different duties, different hours, or different pay than what you signed
  • Termination without valid notice — and specifically, if you were dismissed for “poor performance,” your employer is required to have issued three prior written warnings first. If they didn’t, the termination itself can be challenged.

If your situation is close to one of these but you’re not sure it qualifies, that uncertainty alone isn’t a reason to stay quiet — MOHRE’s process starts with a call or an online form, not a legal filing, and the first step is simply getting your situation heard.

The One Distinction That Changes Everything: What Are You Actually Asking For?

This is the part most people don’t realize until they’re already mid-process, and it’s worth understanding before you file, not after.

If you just want out — a clean cancellation, nothing owed to you — MOHRE can process that directly once your complaint is reviewed. This is usually the faster path.

If you’re also owed money — unpaid salary, an end-of-service settlement, anything financial — the cancellation happens after the dispute itself is resolved. If MOHRE’s mediation doesn’t produce an agreement, the case gets referred to the labour court. This path takes longer, so if this is your situation, start gathering your contract, payslips, and any written correspondence (emails, WhatsApp messages about pay) now, before you file — not after someone asks for it.

How to Actually File

  1. Call the MOHRE toll-free line, or use the website or app. For complaint-specific matters, the Labour Claims and Advisory Centre line is 80084 — this is a different number from the general MOHRE hotline (600590000), and it’s worth having the right one ready.
  2. You’ll receive a case reference, usually by SMS.
  3. Follow the instructions sent to you. MOHRE will contact your employer, hear both sides, and attempt mediation before the case moves further. You don’t need to file a new request to check on progress — log back in with the same details.

One Important Boundary

MOHRE handles labour disputes — pay, contracts, termination, working conditions. It does not handle criminal matters. If what happened to you involves physical violence, threats to your safety, or anything else criminal in nature, that goes to the police, not a MOHRE complaint. MOHRE itself won’t take on criminal cases, and filing there for something that belongs with the police will just cost you time you don’t have.

After MOHRE: Don’t Forget the Second Step

Here’s something that catches people off guard. A MOHRE-side cancellation does not automatically cancel your residence visa. That’s a separate process with the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) or ICP, and it usually means a trip to an Amer centre (in Dubai) or the equivalent immigration service centre in your emirate.

  • If you don’t yet have an Emirates ID, you’ll typically process this at a designated centre — bring your passport copy, visa copy, and the labour cancellation paper MOHRE issues you.
  • If you already have an Emirates ID and a stamped visa, you can generally use any service centre in your emirate.

Don’t assume you’re fully clear just because MOHRE closed your case — check that the immigration side is done too before you make any plans that depend on your legal status.

If You’re Not Sure Where to Start

You can check the status of a complaint you’ve already filed, verify your labour card, or confirm your work permit status any time through the MOHRE enquiry tool. And if none of this matches your exact situation — every case has its own details — the fastest way to get a straight answer is still a direct call to 80084. A five-minute conversation there will tell you more about your specific case than any guide, including this one, ever can.

This page is for general information only and reflects publicly available MOHRE processes as of 2026. mohreenquiryuae.com is an independent guide with no affiliation to MOHRE, the UAE Government, or GDRFA. For binding or legal matters, always confirm directly through mohre.gov.ae or by calling 600590000.