Family Visa in UAE

Prerequisites for Family resident visa sponsorship

If you are a foreign citizen living on a residence visa in UAE, then you can bring your family with you through a UAE family visa. Nevertheless, not everyone is not allowed to bring their dependents; to get a family visa in UAE you have to meet specific requirements.

The UAE laws permit expatriate residents to sponsor their family members based on one condition. The sponsoring is permissible only if the expatriate owns a legal residency permit.

When it comes to expatriate male residents in the UAE, male residents are permitted to sponsor their close family associates like spouse and children based on a minimum income prerequisite. The prerequisite is such that the resident should earn a minimum of AED 4000 or AED 3000 including housing facility.

Prior to March 2019, expatriate employees who belonged to a certain job category was only permitted to sponsor family members. Based on the revised amendment, the UAE law now permits employees irrespective of their job category to apply for family visa. The new amendment lets expatriate employee bring over the close family acquaintances to the Emirates and initiate the residence visa formalities. The only criterion to satisfy is the specific minimum income prerequisite. For additional information regarding the same, please visit the GDRFA website.

A mother is allowed to sponsor the children provided the father is not available or the father is not eligible to offer sponsorship. If the father is available and lives in the Emirates and at the same time satisfies the “sponsor prerequisite”, the scenario limits the mother’s eligibility to offer sponsorship.

The time-frame to apply for the residence visa is 60 days. The person who offers the sponsorship should accomplish the formalities within the prescribed time-frame subsequent to the dependent’s entry to the UAE.

The duration of the visa issued for the sponsor’s family members may vary. Several factors related to the sponsor are taken into consideration for determining the duration of the visa. And those factors are the type of profession, labour contract and the capability of the sponsor. Considering all these factors, residency visa is usually issued for a period of one year or two years for overseas employees. However, residency visa for the period of 3 years is allotted for foreign employers.

There are age-related restrictions for the sponsor’s family members in connection with the duration of the residency visa. Usually, the sponsor’s visa- duration is applicable to the sponsored family members. However, parents and education-seeking male members who are in their adulthood are exempted from the same. The validity of the residence visa issued for parents and education-seeking male adults is one year. The duration of the sponsor’s visa is not applicable here.

All the above-mentioned rules and regulations may undergo revisions or modifications. If you are applying for a Dubai family visa, you must meet the sponsorship criteria as mentioned above. You can also apply for your family visa in UAE through the local GDRFA office in the Emirates. TQM Marketing Management is one of the leading consulting service providers in the UAE, which offers various kinds of visa services. Our visa experts can help you obtain your UAE family visa without spending a lot of time and effort.

  • Medical examination for acquiring UAE residence visa

    The individuals who are willing to acquire a UAE residence visa must go through a medical examination to prove their level of fitness. Individuals above the age of 18 and irrespective of the gender should go through the medical examination. The residence visa is issued on the basis of this examination. These examinations are conducted at health centres that are sanctioned by the UAE government. The medical examination is mandatory for both first-timers and for the purpose of renewal.

    The medical examination is conducted to rule out the chances of transmittable or contagious diseases like Pulmonary Tuberculosis and HIV. The final result of the medical examination determines the eligibility of the applicant for a resident visa. The applicant will be regarded as unfit in case the result proves positive. In other words, the applicant will be denied of residence visa if found to be infected with either of the diseases. A positive test result can lead to instant deportation of the applicant.

    Many healthcare centres operate in the Emirates of Sharjah, Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Ministry of Health and Prevention runs health care centres in the UAE for the purpose of residency visa issuance.

  • Sponsoring for UAE Family Visa

    A foreign employee should satisfy the aforementioned prerequisites to provide sponsorship for family members. The family members include wife and children. And these prerequisites are formulated by the GDRFA. (General Directorate of Residency and Foreign Affairs). A male expatriate can easily sponsor his family to the UAE than a woman. If you are a male expatriate who holds the UAE residence visa, you can bring the below-mentioned family members on UAE family visa.

    Procedure to sponsor wife - the overseas resident is required to produce the original marriage certificate as a proof of marriage. The marriage certificate must be in Arabic or a translated one.

    Procedure to sponsor two wives – In certain scenarios, a resident Muslim may be permitted to offer sponsorship for 2 wives. However, in this case, the sponsor should satisfy the concerned GDRFA rules and regulations.

    Procedure to sponsor daughters – An overseas employee or employer is permitted to sponsor residence visa to the daughter, only if she is not married. The rule applies irrespective of the number of daughters.

    Procedure to sponsor sons – An upper age limit of 18 is applicable when it comes to sponsoring sons. An overseas resident can offer sponsorship to his son beyond the age of 18 on educational grounds. The sponsor is allowed to offer sponsorship if the son pursues an education in an overseas country or in the Emirates. In the case of overseas studies, the son is required to ensure the validity of the residence visa. The residence visa will not be valid if he is not present in the UAE for more than 6 months. In order to ensure the visa validity, the son should conduct a visit to the Emirates once in 6 months. The residence visa is issued for one year. The visa can be renewed until the completion of the study.

  • Documentation regarding sponsoring children and wife

    The visa applicant is required to duly fill the application online or via authorized typing centres. The documents needed to sponsor a UAE family visa are mentioned below: 

    • Children’s copy of passport
    • Wife’s copy of passport
    • Passport size photo of wife
    • Passport size photo of children
    • Wife’s medical approval certificate
    • medical approval certificate of the children if they are above the age of 18.
    • Proof of the employment agreement of the husband and salary certificate
    • Marriage certificate
    • Occupancy agreement
    • Last month’s service bill
  • Residency visa for parents

    There are certain conditions to be met in order to sponsor the parents of the overseas employee/worker. The overseas worker is required to pay the security deposit for the purpose of sponsoring the parents. Each parent requires a separate security deposit and the amount is specified by the concerned Immigration section. The period of stay is one year.

    The overseas worker is supposed to sponsor both the parents at once instead of father or mother. Sponsoring a single parent is not allowed. The reason for sponsoring must be specified by the sponsor. The sponsor should produce proofs that substantiate the same as he is the only support to the parents and there is no means of support and care in their original country of residence.

    The question of sponsoring either of the parents arises at the time of death of one of the parents. It may also take place in special scenarios like divorce. In both the scenarios, the sponsor is required to produce the reason for sponsoring the father or the mother with supporting documents.

    Another important condition to be met by the resident sponsor is the minimum income prerequisite. The sponsor should meet this minimum prerequisite and the salary specified is AED 20,000/month or 19,000/month including a 2-bedroom housing facility. The salary mentioned here is based on the information published by the Department of Naturalisation and Residency Dubai website. The salary prerequisites may vary for another Emirate.

    Apart from the minimum salary prerequisite, the overseas sponsor should acquire a medical insurance cover for both the father and the mother. The annual renewal of the policy is necessary in order to continue the coverage.

  • Sponsoring for women resident expatriates

    An expatriate woman who lives in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi with a Residence visa may sponsor her family. The family comprises of her husband and children. The sponsoring is based on a minimum salary prerequisite and the type of profession. The profession of the women sponsor must belong to the following category.

    • Doctor
    • Engineer
    • Nurse
    • Teacher
    • Other jobs in the medical field

    The woman sponsor based in Abu Dhabi should receive a minimum income of AED 10,000/month or AED 8,000/month including housing facility.

    The scenario is slightly different in the case of Dubai. In Dubai, the woman sponsor need not necessarily belong to the above-mentioned professions to offer sponsorship to family. This is only applicable when the woman sponsor receives the income greater than AED 10,000/month. The woman sponsor may also have to attain approval from the Department of Naturalisation and Residency Dubai.

    There are provisions to sponsor the child of a single mother. Here the mother becomes the sponsor. However, the documentation required is different. Please contact the respective authorities for the same.

  • Validity of the Family residence visa

    The category of the person who offered the sponsorship and the individual/individuals sponsored determines the validity of the residence visa. A Family Visa in UAE are usually issued for 1, 2, or 3 years and can the visa need to be renewed at least thirty days before expiry. The validity of the UAE family visa depends upon the individuals involved. The family visa renewal criteria are almost the same as the issuance of a new visa.

    When it comes to Dubai Family visa,, the visa of the overseas employee is connected to that of his family dependents. By any chance, if the overseas employee’s visa gets annulled, it may demand the annulment of the dependent’s visa.

    After the date of annulment, the sponsored individuals get 30 days’ time for visa renewal. If the renewal or annulment is not done by the sponsor within the prescribed time period, the sponsored individuals may face a financial penalty.

    Rules and regulations connected with sponsorship changes with the type of dependent. The UAE Family Visa is a sort of residence visa, for which you can submit applications on behalf of your dependents. The applications for family visa in Dubai or any other Emirates can be submitted at the corresponding offices of the GDRFA. TQM Marketing Management visa consultants are adept in securing a family visa that suits your needs. We guide and assist UAE residents to attain a Family visa in UAE.

    Above all, we undertake the entire documentation and application process. Chat with our visa experts and clear your doubts.

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