Dubai visa: Now, complete residency transactions via video calls

Residents in Dubai can now enquire about missing documents and complete visa applications via video conferencing, the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) has said. A pilot phase of the project was launched on Wednesday.

Arabic daily Al Watan quoted Lieutenant-General Mohammed Al Marri, director-general of GDRFA-Dubai, as saying that residents will be able to enquire about the status of their applications and to complete all paperwork and information needed through video conferencing.

It's not immediately clear if the service is open to all categories of visas.

The video conferencing will eventually be expanded to be a 24-hour service, with the aim of cutting down physical visits to service centres.

Lt-Gen Al Marri explained that people would be able to avail of the service after having first applied for the visa. It cannot be used for enquiries, which need to be made through call centres. The video conference service, the report said, is in the case of any delay in the service or to submit missing documents.

The GDRFA announced yesterday that it made significant improvements in terms of customer services last year, including merging five services into one, studying 60 customer experiences, and conducting periodic customer satisfaction surveys. It also hired several Emirati cadres, taking the total number of GDRFA’s experts and specialists to 124.

Additionally, the GDRFA succeeded 99 per cent in its operational plan, with the Customer Happiness Index crossing 96 per cent while the Partner Happiness Index hit 100 per cent.

GDRFA also announced that it has issued 80,000 Golden to skilled professionals, entrepreneurs and investors, which was an increase of 69 per cent over the previous year.

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