Your company PRO should handle all the paperwork, meaning you probably won’t have to visit the Immigration Department yourself. He’ll take your passport, employment visa (with entry stamp), medical test results, attested education certificates, copies of your company’s establishment immigration card and trade licence, and three passport photos. For a fee of Dhs.300 (plus typing fees) the Immigration Department will process everything and affix and stamp the residency permit in the passport. This may take up to 10 days, during which time you’ll be without your passport, but for an extra Dhs.100 they can do it on the same day. When arranging your residency, the company will apply directly for your labour card. The Ministry of Labour website (www.mol.gov.ae) has a facility for companies to process applications and transactions online. To be accepted by the authorities here, your education certificates must be verified by a solicitor or public notary in your home country and then by your foreign office to verify the solicitor as bona fide, then the UAE embassy. It’s a good idea to have this done before you come to Dubai, but Empost does offer a verification service at a cost of Dhs.500 per degree. The minimum turnaround time you can expect for this service is two weeks.