visaprocessUAE: UAE relaxes family sponsorship policies

UAE announced new visa guidelines. These will allow family members of foreign citizens working in the country to get family visa if the working relative fulfills income criteria.

Earlier, foreign workers would need to adhere to an eligible list of professions to qualify for sponsoring their families.

Going forward, income is the only requirement for foreign workers to sponsor their family members, a move that stands to benefit UAE expatriates.

How is it different from existing rules?
Under the existing guidelines, male expats are able to sponsor their immediate family members, including spouse and children, if their monthly income is Dh4,000 or Dh3,000 with company-provided accommodation.

Additionally, there were certain categories of occupations for them to be eligible to sponsor their families. For example, domestic helpers and other labourers engaged in the informal sector were not entitled to sponsor their families irrespective of their monthly income, limitations that this latest resolution seeks to amend.

Prevalent regulations also placed similar limits on female expats, who could sponsor family members only if they are engaged in the teaching, engineering, or health professions.

They must have earn Dh4,000 per month if engaged in these professions, or a minimum of Dh10,000 if she works in any other sector. In addition, she must also gain special approval from the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs.

Relaxation in UAE’s immigration laws does away with this requirement for residents to have certain professions, although income levels still remain a criteria.
FAMILY VISA