All companies can now seek temporary work permits to facilitate the process of recruiting foreign manpower, said Assistant Under-secretary in the Ministry of Labour, Obaid Rashid Al Zahmi.

In the past, such permits were issued only to oil and energy firms. The three-month temporary permit or 'mission visa' will cost Dh500 (approx $136). For a three-month extension of the permit, companies would have to pay Dh500 ($136) along with a Dh3,000 ($817) bank guarantee, Al Zahmi said.

"The permit is not expensive, rather is beneficial to all as the firms can check the credentials and the performance of the workers they have recruited," he said adding, the workers' rights would also be protected.

More than 200,000 illegal workers have left the Gulf country under a recent amnesty programme, leaving some sectors reeling under staff shortages.

To offset the problem, the Ministry of Labour is planning to introduce the so-called mission visa, which will allow people to live and work in the UAE for up to six months.