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Tough new UAE rules for expats sponsoring adult dependents
| Published: | 2 Dec at 6 PM |
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Tagged: Visas
Revised rules have been introduced for expats wishing to bring adult dependents such as children over 18 and parents to the emirate on residency visas.
Adult dependants and the parents of expats working in Abu Dhabi have historically been granted residency visa automatically. According to an unnamed source, under the revised rules announced by the Minister of the Interior dependents’ residency visa will only be issued for emergency reasons or on humanitarian grounds.
A special panel will be appointed to scrutinise all resident visa application made by expats on behalf of their adult children and parents. The source added that the changes had been made following violations of the original rules, resulting in abuse of the residency visa system.
Further changes disallow expats earning less than Dh20,000 from sponsoring dependent visas, and expats holding investor visas will need to have been in business in the emirate for more than six months before they are allowed to sponsor their adult dependents as permanent residents. Those on investor visas aiming at sponsorship will also need to provide bank documents proving their net worth.
According to the source, a Ministry investigation had uncovered several instances where violations of parental humanitarian exemption guarantees had been violated, some involving expats unqualified to sponsor family members. The revised rules would seem to already have been put in place, with several expats applying on behalf of their parents being refused, along with more who were financially qualified to be sponsors.
One sponsorship-qualified IT professional working in the public sector has been attempting to bring his mother to Abu Dhabi for seven months, but has had his application rejected time after time.
Adult dependants and the parents of expats working in Abu Dhabi have historically been granted residency visa automatically. According to an unnamed source, under the revised rules announced by the Minister of the Interior dependents’ residency visa will only be issued for emergency reasons or on humanitarian grounds.
A special panel will be appointed to scrutinise all resident visa application made by expats on behalf of their adult children and parents. The source added that the changes had been made following violations of the original rules, resulting in abuse of the residency visa system.
Further changes disallow expats earning less than Dh20,000 from sponsoring dependent visas, and expats holding investor visas will need to have been in business in the emirate for more than six months before they are allowed to sponsor their adult dependents as permanent residents. Those on investor visas aiming at sponsorship will also need to provide bank documents proving their net worth.
According to the source, a Ministry investigation had uncovered several instances where violations of parental humanitarian exemption guarantees had been violated, some involving expats unqualified to sponsor family members. The revised rules would seem to already have been put in place, with several expats applying on behalf of their parents being refused, along with more who were financially qualified to be sponsors.
One sponsorship-qualified IT professional working in the public sector has been attempting to bring his mother to Abu Dhabi for seven months, but has had his application rejected time after time.
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