Before going to the GDRFA office or any typing center to apply for a UAE residency visa/sponsorship for a family member, ensure you have all the necessary paperwork.
The United Arab Emirates has emerged as one of the most popular travel destinations worldwide for people and families wishing to begin a new chapter in their lives. Thousands of foreigners visit the United Arab Emirates each year to advance their careers, and after they settle in, they frequently bring their families with them in the hopes of giving them a better life.
However, residents or foreigners living in Dubai must sponsor their family members for a UAE residence visa, if they wish to bring their spouse, kids, and other dependents to live with them. Following these crucial guidelines is necessary if you intend to sponsor family members:
To work and live in the United Arab Emirates, you must first be employed, and your employer must get a work permit and a valid UAE resident visa.
Before obtaining a resident visa, you can bring your family to Dubai on a visitation visa. The procedure of sponsoring family members is simple, but there are legal requirements that must be followed.
Qualifications/Requirements To Sponsor a Dubai Visa:
- Minimum Salary: If an expat makes at least Dh4,000 or Dh3,000 per year, with housing, they are eligible to sponsor their families. Everyone who has reached the age of 18 must pass the medical fitness exam.
- Time Limit: After a dependent enters the UAE with an entry permit, the resident sponsor has sixty days to file for the dependent’s residence visa.
- Parent Sponsorship: To sponsor parents, an expat must earn Dh10,000 per year. Details are provided below.
- Profession: An overseas worker’s ability to sponsor his family visas is no longer dependent on the nature of his occupation.
- Housing: The sponsor needs to have a suitable place to live, whether it’s a Dubai home or a rented apartment. It could be necessary to provide proof of accommodations when processing the paperwork.
- Employment: To sponsor family members in the UAE, an expat must be employed or run their own business.
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Sponsoring Wife and Kids:
If an overseas resident satisfies the sponsorship standards mentioned above, he may sponsor his wife’s and kids’ residence visas. The son or daughter’s residency period should match the length of their parents’ residency visa, which may be two or three years.
An attested marriage certificate in Arabic or one that has been legally translated into Arabic by a qualified translator must be submitted by the foreigner to sponsor his wife.
- Sponsoring Two Wives: If a Muslim resident satisfies the requirements set forth by the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs & Port Security (ICP), he may be permitted to sponsor two wives in certain circumstances.
- Sponsoring Daughters: There are no age limitations for an expat to sponsor his daughter or daughters, although they must be unmarried.
- Son Sponsorship: Up until the age of 25, a resident may support one or more sons. There are no age restrictions on sponsoring sons with special needs.
- Newborn Sponsorship: To avoid penalties, a resident visa must be requested within 120 days of the baby’s birth in the United Arab Emirates.
- Stepchild Sponsorship: Under the terms of the GDRFA, which include a signed no-objection certificate from the biological parent and a deposit for each child, an expatriate resident may sponsor his stepchildren. Their residency permits are renewed every year after the initial one-year period.
Documents Needed To Sponsor Wife and Kids:
Before going to the GDRFA office or any typing center to apply for sponsorship for a family member, make sure you have all the necessary paperwork. This will guarantee a seamless and effective application procedure.
- Apply for a visa online or at a typing office that is registered.
- Copies of the wife’s and kids’ passports
- Current passport images of the spouse and kids
- The wife and children over the age of eighteen have a medical clearance certificate.
- A copy of the husband’s business or employment contract
- The employer’s salary certificate detailing the husband’s monthly compensation
- Marriage certificate with attestation
- Children’s attestation of birth certificates
- The tenancy agreement that is registered.
- The application for a resident visa must be filed with an Emirates ID application form for each family member.
READ MORE: UAE Family Visa: Women as Sponsors for Husbands and Children
Sponsoring Your Parents
The expat must fulfill the authorities’ minimal wage requirements to sponsor their parents. Additionally, they have to make arrangements for both parents to have health insurance that satisfies the requirements. Every year, this insurance needs to be renewed.
By submitting a deposit as a guarantee for each parent, as needed by the immigration authorities, an expat can sponsor their parents to remain in the United Arab Emirates for a maximum of one year. Regardless of how long the sponsor’s visa is valid, parents are granted this annual visa.
Unless there are special circumstances, both parents must be sponsored jointly; one parent cannot be sponsored alone. Additionally, he must demonstrate that he is their only provider and that no one in their native country will look after them.
Official documentation will be needed to support supporting only one parent if one parent has died or the parents are divorced.
How To Submit A Visa Application:
An expat can apply online to sponsor a family member for residency in the United Arab Emirates through the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs, and Port Security (ICA) for all other emirates, or the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) for Dubai.
To apply for a residency permit, applicants can also go to the closest Amer Center or typing centers.
What Is The Cost Of The Visa?
The visa processing fees must be paid once the application is submitted.
The cost of a family visa in the United Arab Emirates might differ based on the type of visa and the emirate. The GDRFA website states that the usual family visa payments for Dubai are as follows:
- Fee for a residence permit: Dh200
Additional fee:
- Dh10 is the knowledge fee.
- Dh10 is the innovation fee.
- Inside-country fee: Dh500
- Delivery: 20 Dh
Note: If the residency period exceeds two years, the issuing fee rises by Dh100 each year.
As stated on the ICP website:
- Dh100 is the application fee.
- Fees for issuance: Dh100 annually
- Fee for eChannel services: Dh100
Medical Test Locations and Fees:
Family members over the age of 18 must have a medical fitness exam after the authorities approve their family visa application. HIV, AIDS screening, TB, leprosy, and Hepatitis B and C are among the infectious disorders that are detected by this test. To move forward with the family members’ residency visa application, the test results must be turned in.
Al Nahda Center, Salah El Deen Center, Ibn Battuta Center, Al Khubaisi Center, Dragon Mart 2 Center, and Al Baraha Smart Center are the Emirates Health Services (EHS) testing facilities in Dubai.
According to EHS, the cost of the medical fitness exam for Category A (employees, businesses, and workers) is Dh260.
Dh310 applies to Category B men who work in hair and beauty salons, health clubs, and medical facilities.
Dh360 is for Category C women, which includes baby nannies, domestic helpers, and similar workers, supervisors of kindergartens and nurseries, employees of hair and beauty salons, fitness clubs, and medical institutions.
Emirates ID:
The candidate can only get the Emirates ID and have the resident visa stamped in their passport after passing the medical exam.
You can apply for a new Emirates ID card at authorized typing centers located around the United Arab Emirates or via the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Ports Authority’s (ICP) website. To give biometric information, first-time applicants must physically visit an ICP or a government service center.
Additionally, you will need to fill out an application, which can be found online at the ICP website and on their mobile app.
Obtaining an Emirates ID costs Dh370.
An extra Dh150 is charged for urgent treatment, which is provided at customer satisfaction centers.
Residence Visa Validity and Renewal:
Family residency permits can be granted for one to three years and are typically linked to the sponsor’s visa status. To prevent any penalties or overstaying fines, it is essential to begin the visa renewal process well in advance of the expiration date. The initial application and renewal procedures are comparable.
It’s critical to keep up with any modifications to residency and visa requirements. The GDRFA and the ICP are the main agencies in charge of managing visa and residency issues in the United Arab Emirates.