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UAE: My husband recently lost his job; will I be able to sponsor his residency visa?

Residents may be able to sponsor their spouse if they meet certain criteria; here is the procedure

Question: My husband recently lost his job. I work as an administrator in a private company and earn a salary of Dh6,000. Will I be able to sponsor his residency? What are the procedures?

Response: Pursuant to your queries, it is assumed that you are a resident of Dubai. In the UAE, a wife may sponsor her husband if she earns the minimum required salary. As your salary is Dh6,000, you may be eligible to sponsor your husband’s residency in the UAE.

The requirements to sponsor a husband by a wife in the UAE are the passport copies of the wife (sponsor) and her husband; UAE resident ID card of the wife (sponsor); copy of the tenancy contract and Ejari; copy of the employment contract of the wife (sponsor) attested by Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation or salary certificate issued by the employer if the wife’s (sponsor) employer is based in a free zone; bank account statements (if any); marriage certificate duly notarised/legalised in the home country of the sponsor and by Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation in the UAE; and three passport photographs of the husband.

Initially, along with the aforementioned documents, you need to approach an authorised typing centre based in Dubai. Based on the documents submitted by you, the typing centre will apply for a residency visa, UAE resident ID card (Emirates ID), health insurance and medical fitness test for your husband after collecting the relevant fees from you. Thereafter, your husband needs to undergo a medical fitness test, and upon clearance of the said test, the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs - Dubai (the ‘GDRFA’) may issue a residency visa to your husband under your sponsorship.

Once the residency visa is issued to your husband, the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security shall issue his UAE resident ID card (Emirates ID).

Ashish Mehta is the founder and Managing Partner of Ashish Mehta & Associates. He is qualified to practise law in Dubai, the United Kingdom and India. Full details of his firm on: www.amalawyers.com. Readers may e-mail their questions to: news@khaleejtimes.com or send them to Legal View, Khaleej Times, PO Box 11243, Dubai.

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