Visa renewal after six-month stay outside

Q: I sent my family to India last year. They have a three-year residence visa. Now my wife’s visa is due for renewal by the end of January 2008. I plan to bring my wife this month. What are the formalities to be followed in this regard? As far as I know, a resident with valid residence visa cannot stay outside the UAE continuously for more than six months. Otherwise, the visa shall be cancelled.

A: You should submit a petition to the Naturalisation and Residency Department. Your excuses, such as children’s schooling or examination, wife’s delivery or any other grounds that led to your wife’s overstay outside the UAE, are to be underscored therein.

However, you should substantiate your statement, and seek permission for your wife and children to re-enter the country since their residency is still valid. Permission is also needed for the air carrier to accept their tickets.

Q: I work with a marketing company here. I recently received a packet through a local courier from a customer company which was expected to issue us a cheque for some money. I did not check the packet at that time but signed the courier’s run sheet. The next day, I found that the packet did not have the cheque. When I contacted the company concerned, it said it had sent a cheque for the amount. I believe the courier must have delivered the packet with the cheque to some other person. What is the best action to be taken in this situation? Can we ask the customer to issue another cheque for the lost one?

A: The best thing is to file a report with the police including all the details. A copy of the police report must to be sent to the company that issued the cheque to contact the bank and halt the payment. You can also ask the company to issue another cheque if it is ascertained that the cheque was not encashed or stolen. — Compiled by Ahmed Shaaban