Dubai visa data points to recovery in expatriate hiring

• Visa medical checks rising
• At 80% of pre-war level
• ‘Significant drop-off in March’

Medical checks required for Dubai residency visas have returned to about 80 percent of pre-war levels, according to a government-approved provider of the tests.

The figures suggest the disruption to expatriate hiring caused by the Iran war is easing, although activity has not yet recovered to pre-conflict levels.

Amanda Gravitis, chief executive of Smart Salem, a check-up provider approved by the Dubai Health Authority (DHA), said stalled relocations and hiring freezes since the conflict broke out on February 28 had contributed to the drop in tests.

Medical testing for communicable diseases such as HIV and tuberculosis are a mandatory component of the UAE’s visa application process for new expatriates and those changing jobs.

Tests for new visas were down 70 percent in March compared to the start of 2026, Gravitis told AGBI. Tests for visa renewals were down by about half.

In April and May, there was “some recovery”, she said.

By the end of June, the number of tests Smart Salem was conducting had reached around 80 percent of the company’s expectations for this time of year. This is even with the traditional Gulf summer slowdown in recruitment.

“There was a significant drop-off in March, which is not ideal for any business and told us several things: people were not moving jobs and companies were not hiring externally or from overseas as much,” Gravitis said.

“But once the ceasefire was agreed in April confidence has grown and things have been trending upwards.”

Smart Salem’s year-on-year growth in March has averaged around 120 percent for the past three years. In March 2026 the business recorded 48 percent growth.

It expects a recovery to annual norms by the fourth quarter, Gravitis said.

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The company performs an average of 20,000 visa medical tests each month from three sites in Dubai International Financial Centre, City Walk and Dubai Knowledge Park. It totalled about 190,000 tests in 2025 and is in talks with the DHA to open a fourth testing centre and expand its services.

More than 1.2 million visa medical tests were carried out across the UAE in 2023, according to the Emirates Health Service.

Smart Salem is a subsidiary of Paris-listed Klea Holding. In April Klea reported that Smart Salem’s turnover had fallen by 22 percent year on year to €4.7 million ($5.4 million) in the first quarter of 2026.

Klea attributed the drop to the war and said it was “confident that the recurring nature of [the business]… will enable it to make up the shortfall over the coming quarters”.

AGBI reported in June that confidence in the region among large companies and relocating workers remained largely intact, even if some have revisited timelines or developed contingency plans.