Sponsoring family residency visa by expatriates

Both, employers and employees with a valid UAE residence visa can sponsor residence visas for their families. Unlike before, employees can sponsor their families regardless of their job titles if they earn a minimum salary of AED 4,000 or AED 3,000 plus accommodation. Clearing medical fitness examination applies to all newcomers who have completed the age of 18.

Sponsorship requirements

Expatriate residents, both employers and employees, may sponsor their families to reside in the UAE if they have a valid residence permit/visa.

The sponsor must have a minimum salary of AED 4,000 or AED 3,000 plus accommodation.

Male and female family members who are to be sponsored and who have completed the age of 18 need to undergo and pass medical fitness tests at approved health centres in the UAE.

Notes:

A mother can sponsor her children in special cases approved by the ICP.
A resident sponsor has 60 days to apply for his dependents’ residence visa after they enter the UAE under an entry permit.
A resident can sponsor his parents, and the residence visa will be granted on a yearly basis regardless of the duration of the sponsor’s visa.
The type of profession is no longer a condition for an expatriate worker to be able to sponsor his family visas.
Medically unfit people will not be granted a residence visa.
Residents who are detected with dormant or inactive pulmonary tuberculosis are also considered medically fit and are granted a one-year ‘Health Fitness Certificate for Residence’ subject to treatment and follow-up by the Department of Preventive Medicine or equivalent government health authority.

The conditions are subject to change from time to time. Kindly check with GDRFA or Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship.

Locate government medical fitness centres of:

Useful links:

Apply for medical examination for expatriate residence visa - Ministry of Health and Prevention
Health conditions for a UAE residence visa - UAE Government portal
Resolution No. 5 of 2016 amending provisions of the Cabinet Decree No. 7 of 2008
Communicable Diseases Bulletin (PDF, 2.65 MB) - Department of Health – Abu Dhabi

Sponsoring your wife and children

An expatriate resident may sponsor the residence visa for his wife and children if he fulfils the above mentioned sponsorship requirements set by the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA).

To sponsor his wife, the expatriate resident must prove an existing marital relationship by submitting an authenticated marriage certificate in Arabic or duly translated into Arabic by a certified translator.

Sponsoring two wives

In strict cases, a Muslim resident may be allowed to sponsor his two wives, if he meets certain terms and conditions set by the respective GDRFA.

Sponsoring daughters

An expatriate resident can sponsor his daughter/s only if she/they is/are unmarried.

Sponsoring sons

A resident can sponsor his son/s only up to the age of 18. If after the age of 18, the son is studying in the UAE or abroad, he can be sponsored until the age of 21 on providing the proof that he is studying. However, for his residence visa to stay valid, he has to enter the UAE at least once every six months. The residence visa is granted on a yearly basis, renewable until the person finishes his education.

Note: New rules for children’s visa sponsored by parents

Starting from 21 October 2018, students who graduate from their universities or secondary schools or complete 18 years of age will be granted a one-year residence visa, renewable for another year from the graduation date or on completing 18 years.

For this type of visa, parents are not required to place bank deposits. The visa will cost AED100 for first time issuing and renewal.

To avail this service, parents must present duly attested graduation certificates from universities or schools, whether inside the country or abroad.

Source:

Sponsoring stepchildren

An expatriate resident can also sponsor his stepchildren, subject to GDRFA’s conditions which include a deposit for each child and a written no-objection certificate from the biological parent. Their residence visas are valid for one year; renewable annually.

Required documents to sponsor wife and children include:

online application or through a registered typing office
passport copies of the wife and children
photos of the wife and children
medical clearance certificate for the wife and children above 18
copy of the husband's employment contract or company contract
salary certificate from the employer stating the employee's monthly salary
legalised marriage certificate
registered tenancy contract
latest utility bill.

Residence for family members of university students

In January 2021, the UAE Cabinet approved a resolution to allow foreign students studying at the UAE’s universities to invite their family members to the UAE, as long as they can afford suitable housing. The resolution aims to achieve moral stability, which will support the country’s education sector and reinforce its position as a leading global destination for work and study.

Read related news coverage on WAM.

Sponsoring your parents

An expatriate employee can sponsor his parents for a year's stay by paying a deposit as a guarantee for each parent as stipulated by the respective immigration department.

An expatriate employee cannot sponsor only one of his parents. He needs to sponsor both parents together. He also needs to provide proof that he is their sole support and that there is no one to take care of them back home.

If one of the parents has passed away or if the parents are divorced, he has to show the related official documents as justification to sponsor only one of his parents.

To sponsor parents, the employed expatriate resident must earn the minimum salary stipulated and obtain a medical insurance policy for parents with the minimum coverage stipulated for each, to be renewed each year.

According to the Amer website, DNRD in Dubai stipulates a minimum salary of AED 20,000 to sponsor parents’ visa. Check terms and conditions in other emirates.

Woman sponsoring her family

In Abu Dhabi, a woman can sponsor her husband and children if she holds a residence permit stating that she is an engineer, teacher, doctor, nurse or any other profession related to the medical sector and if her monthly salary is not less than AED 10,000 or AED 8,000 plus accommodation. She needs to provide additional documents as stipulated by the respective authority.

In Dubai, if a woman is not employed in one of these categories she may still get approval to sponsor her family if her monthly salary is more than AED 10,000 and with a special permission from the DNRD.

A single mother can sponsor her child. The authorities might ask for documents similar to those required to sponsor stepchildren.

Validity and renewal

The duration of residence visa depends on the type of sponsor and the person sponsored. It is issued for one, or two or three years. Visa is renewed subject to conditions similar to those of fresh visas.

The family's residence permits are linked to the residence permit of the sponsoring expatriate employee. If the sponsoring family member's visa is cancelled, it requires cancellation of the visas of the dependents.

Dependents are granted a 30-day grace period from the date of expiry or cancellation of their visa to obtain a new residence permit. If the employee fails to renew or cancel the visa of his dependents, the dependents would be deemed illegal residents and could be liable to pay a fine.

Updated on 18 Oct 2022 - AL JAZ DOCUMENT CLEARING - 0507946288, 0554803981, 0547594909