Discover How To Sponsor A Dependant To The UAE

There are various reasons to work and live in the UAE. There is a favorable tax regime on personal and corporate income making it attractive from a business perspective. Additionally, this place has a vibrant economy backed by strategic location to the vast market in the West and East. Living in the UAE offers high quality of life and standards of living making it one of the best places to live on earth. 

Various factors here enhance the quality of life including exceptional safety, healthcare service, and peaceful environment. therefore, any expatriate would wish their family to enjoy life here as well. When working in the UAE, your employer is most likely to offer necessary assistance during the visa application process for your dependants. 

Perhaps you are a business owner. You will have to make an application for sponsoring your dependants to get their visas successfully. Likely, this whole process is straightforward if you know the right steps to take. You can sponsor children, parents, spouse, or domestic staff including a maid or driver. This is possible as long as you meet the requirements and have proper documentation. 

Sponsoring Family to the UAE

You need to hold a valid UAE residency visa to sponsor anyone. Additionally, you should have a registered tenancy contract and prove financial worth including:

  • AED 5,000 for a spouse
  • AED 20,000 for parents
  • AED 10,000 for spouse and children 

Sponsoring a child or spouse requires presenting an attested birth or marriage certificate respectively from your country of origin. You have to find a reputable agency offering birth certificate attestation for visa including a certified translation if the document is in another language apart from English or Arabic. 

Sponsoring domestic staff 

The criterion for sponsoring non-family members is a bit different. Keep in mind that only domestic workers from particular countries are allowed. According to local regulations, a male sponsors domestic workers. In addition, the visas for domestic workers are valid for only a year. Standard residency UAE visas last one, two, or three years. However, some Emirates might request an official letter from the employment agency to sponsor a domestic worker. 

Rules are different for a female looking forward to sponsoring dependants. You can only sponsor a dependant after producing a fully legalized and spouse death certificate or divorce certificate. Emirates like Abu Dhabi allow a woman to sponsor a dependant from particular professions including a doctor, engineer, nurse, teacher, or other professions in the medical sector with a base pay of over AED 10,000. The cost of processing a dependant visa application depends on the free zone you are in and appropriate immigration center.  

Step by step guide to sponsoring a dependant 

After meeting the criteria to sponsor a dependant and with all appropriate documents handy, you need to understand the application guidelines. Regardless of whether you are sponsoring a spouse, child, or domestic worker, the process involves four stages including. 

Appropriate paperwork

You will have to obtain an entry permit. This is a temporary visa valid for 60 days. Applying for an entry permit takes about `15 days. However, you can choose a fast track option that lasts for about 5-7 working days.

Change of status 

After acquiring an entry permit for your dependant, you have to have it activated. This process of status adjustment is essential before acquiring a full residency visa. The status change is possible in the country, outside the country, or on the border run. This requires going across the UAE border and re-entering to get the appropriate entry stamp. The status change process might take about 3 to 5 days. 

Emirates ID registration and medical test

It is mandatory for anyone looking forward to getting a UAE visa to undergo a medical test. This takes a few hours and involves a blood test for infectious diseases and chest x-ray. After passing the medical test, the applicant is then ready to apply for an Emirates ID card. This is an identification card for all UAE citizens for purposes like opening a bank account, signing a contract with mobile telephone service, or signing a tenancy agreement. 

Residence visa stamping

This is the final stage in the visa application process. Residence visa stamping involves obtaining the appropriate UAE residency visa stamped in the dependant’s passport. Your dependant will now be ready to come and live with you in the UAE. 

Keep this in mind

To sponsor a dependant for a UAE residency visa is not taxed. Following the guidelines above will ensure success in the visa application process. However, you have to be aware of some things that might affect the visa application or cause unnecessary delays. You have to understand the requirements of your country of origin requirements for the UAE visa. These can be complex and avoiding this hassle requires getting your paperwork in order. 

Conclusion

Sponsoring a dependant to the UAE requires understanding the appropriate local regulations and paperwork required. You need to have your appropriate papers like birth certificate and marriage certificate attested by a professional agency. This will make the documents easily accepted by authorities in Dubai for success visa application.