One of the biggest challenge an OFW face is being away from his/her family. Being far specially from their spouse causes misunderstanding and marital problems which sometimes leads to broken family. Strengthening our family relationship is not an easy thing to do, but one of the ways we could do this is by sticking together as a family. Sure it is not easy specially if you are an OFW living in the Middle East. But our efforts and sacrifices are worth all the troubles if through this we could keep our family intact.
Just like the Family Status application process to unite families of OFWs and expats in Saudi Arabia. We tried to gather information from our friends who are currently in Dubai to have an idea how things are done.
The following is a guide on how an OFW working in Dubai can bring his family with him, or how to get Family Residence Visa. The information published here is from General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA)
In order to obtain the non-employment Residence Visa here are:
Requirements/Criteria:
Your monthly salary should not be less than AED 4000 or AED 3000 + accommodation.
If you want to sponsor a residence visa for your parents, your minimum monthly salary should be AED 10,000. See residence visa for parents separately.
Documents Required:
• Typed Application form
• Salary certificate (for government employee) or attested work contract (other employees)
• 3 months bank statement for long-time residents. New residents can submit 1 month bank statement or bank letter confirming salary transfer.
• Attested tenancy contract, Emirates ID card and labour card
• Marriage certificate that has been attested by UAE authorities (for UAE marriages) or in your home country for spouse sponsorship
• Passports (original) and copies of both sponsor and family member/s
• Medical check-up report of spouse or children over 15 years of age from authorized hospital/clinic
• 3 passport photos of family member
Fees:
• AED 310 Application fee + and you might also need to pay someone in filling up the forms in Arabic
• AED 15 Empost label (Optional)
Procedure:
1. Ensure that you take your spouse/child over 15 for a health check-up and obtain a Medical Certificate.
2. Go to any authorized typing office & get application form typed and pay the fees.
3. Go to GDRFA and submit application form, along with supporting documents to receive the residence visa stamp on your family member's passport.
This information may change subject to the Government of Dubai.
Please note that Residence Visa should also be renewed every 2 years. Residence Visa also becomes invalid if you leave UAE for more than 6 months, and you will have to reprocess again in order to return.
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