How did I sponsor my husband in Dubai

Hi guys! It's been a while since my last post. How have you been?

Me? Busy trying to put our life back on track. My better half became unemployed two months ago and our status in UAE was put to the test. We were pressured even more when it was time for his employment visa cancellation.

The best thing that happened to us, after all our efforts and a few buckets of tears was, we finally got him a Dubai residence visa under my sponsorship. Stress is down to 50%. How did we do it? Let me share it with you.

In Dubai, there is a visa called the husband's or father's visa. This is a type of residency visa whereby your sponsor is your husband or your father. In my case, I became my husband's sponsor. But there's a catch. My profession falls into a category that is not qualified to sponsor a husband in Dubai. For that reason, we approached the humanitarian section of the Dubai Immigration office to ask for the committee's consideration.

Sponsoring a husband in Dubai - Step-by-Step Process

Step 1: We went to a typing center and have an application typed for an entry permit, paid 250 AED

Document required:

1. Passport copy of the sponsored person with a copy of the canceled visa
2. Visa cancellation paper and termination letter
3. Sponsor's passport copy and visa page
4. Arabic salary certificate issued by the sponsor's employer
5. Attested marriage certificate
6. Passport copy of children with visa page (if applicable)
7. Attested tenancy contract (Ejari for Dubai) must be in the name of the sponsor
8. Water and Electricity Bill (DEWA)
9. Three months' bank statement

Step 2: We presented the papers to the humanitarian section.

At first, I was told that my profession is not qualified to sponsor my husband which I am already aware of. We requested local lady she can accept and allow me to try to have my papers presented to the committee. She told me to go to the cashier and pay the committee fees of 130 AED and come back to her. I did what I was told. After scanning my application, she gave me a small receipt and told me to wait for 7-10 working days. Believe me, it was the longest 10 days of my life. I stayed patient, praying that the good heavens are with me on this. On the 7th day, I received an SMS asking me to go to Dubai immigration to follow up on my husband's visa application.

I waited patiently on the bench for my token to be called. When I was called, I gave the small receipt to the same local lady who received my application when I submitted it the first time. She looks at it and went to the shelf where all the papers are filed and took my husband's application. She checked it, looked at me, and asked if he is inside the country and I told her yes.

Step 3: She then handed over to me a bunch of paper and ask me to pay a 2000 AED deposit and 680 AED for the inside country and come back to her. The feeling was overwhelming. I had to ask her again if it was approved before the idea sinks in. It has been approved by the committee. I was thrilled that I am approved to sponsor my husband and that there was no need for him to go for a visa run. I paid the fees and went back to her then she issued me the pink paper. My hands were shaking when I received the visa. I was so happy.

Step 4: The process didn't finish there. There were plenty of things to do. She told me to go to typing again for a change of status. For this typing, I paid another AED 610. This is actually better than leaving the country because it's the same amount of money we will spend on airfare had I sent him to Kish Island. When typing is done, I went back to the entry permit - ladies' section. I gave the passport and entry visa. There it was stamped to show that he had entered the country and gave me a change of status paper.

Step 5: From then onwards, we have two months to stamp the visa to his passport. To do that, he has to go for a medical test which is more or less AED 300, and an Emirates ID application of AED 170 for 1 year. When these are done, we went back to Duba Immigration to submit the papers and passport and the visa was stamped to it. The issued visa is only valid for a year.

It was indeed a very long process and it requires almost a fortune but it is cheaper and less stressful than going for a visa run every now and then until he gets fully employed again. He had quite a few interviews already and we are patiently waiting for the right opportunity to arrive. I hope it comes soon.

***This is based on our personal experience and yours might be different. Please bear in mind that Dubai Immigration assesses each case differently.

Have you ever experienced something like this before or are you in the same situation right now? Please feel free to leave your comments below.

Cheers!!!XOXO
MYB

My Yellow Bells

Carla is a lifestyle blogger based in Dubai who's thankful to call this ever-evolving city her second home. The pages of this blog are filled with stories about her expat life in the sandpit. It features dining and travel adventures in and around the city and beyond. It also features food recipes, parenting tips, and fashion style.

22 Comments

Please feel free to share your own story or views here.

Cheers
Carla

  1. Hi Carla,

    I'm glad you have sighed relief now.

    The feeling of unstability during these times will be there yet I know you'll be over it soon. In return your kids will love it that they have their dad around all day, till he lands a better work.

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  2. Hi Bev, it was really a very difficult time yet we keep our composure and our faith to the Lord. He is a giving God indeed, to date Ferald have a job offer in a reputable company in the country.

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  3. Thank you so much for posting this, I too have submitted my husband's visa and I am just waiting for a sms. My salary is 12K including accommodation but my position doesn't fall on their category to sponsor. I am praying that I get the same result as you. You have been very helpful and wish you all the luck in the future.

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    1. hi there, thank you for your comment. Keep the faith, I wish you good luck and hope that you will get the good news as well.

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  4. That was a tedious process, but it's a relief in the end. I hope that he has found a good employer already.

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    1. Yes it was indeed a very tedious process. Ferald will be working soon in Toyota Al Futtaim.

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  5. Hey Yellow Bells, i'm going through a similar situation. I have submitted my documents and still waiting for their SMS. I met few other people at the humanitarian section who had come to apply for visa's and they scared me by telling me that they normally reject it at the first try for no reason. If you dont mind, what do you work as? i work as an asst. manager, with a salary of 16K. So i'm hoping that they should not have any problems in issuing a visa.

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    1. Hi there, mine was first time and it was approved. As long as you have submitted proper documents then don't lose hope. Keep your fingers crossed and pray hard. They look at each case differently, try to stay positive. I wish you good luck!

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  6. I went via the same process and committy has rejected his application. 2 years ago i applied for the same, my salary was 7000 AED, designation: Administration Manager. Then i resigned, my new salary is 9000 AED but designation is Reservation Clerk (both of designations have nothing to do with my real duties :) ) The education is Engineer. So, as i was told, the designation should be a managerial position and/or salary should be 10 K...

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    1. Thank you for sharing, it is good to know that. And I think again they change the amount of salary, apparently now it is 20K

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  7. Hi, I am currently going through the same situation. But my problem is the tenancy contract is under his name, so how to go about that?

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    1. Hi Chaitu,

      Normally they need the tenancy contract to be in the sponsors name. The best thing to do is take all you documents to the immigration and ask them, I am not saying that they will accept but you can ask for consideration, anyway you guys are husband and wife.

      Hope this help, sorry for replying just now.

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    2. Ya thank u so much.. But i had already been to the immigration and they are asking for my degree certification attestation which i dont have. so i am back.. Not sure what to do next...

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    3. For the degree, you need to have it attested by your school, then by the foreign affairs, and UAE Embassy in your home country. When you have it here, take it to Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dubai for attestation.

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  8. Hi.. Even i am in the similr ditution and have submitted the documents in Himanitarian section 3.

    But i don't understand, why my wife was told to Humanitarian section to submit docs though her profession is Engineering (IT) and meets all the required criteria.

    Also would like to ask you one last thing:
    I have cancelled my visa and grace perios ends on Nov 10,2015. We submitted docs last thursday ( Nov 5). If we dont get sms by Nov 9th then do i have to exit the country and come back once i get the visa or stay, pay fine and proceed with the process. Can you shed some light if you are aware of this kind of issue?

    Thanks,
    Sharath

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  9. Hi Sharath,

    Dubai Immigration rules change, the information I have in 2013 might be different from today. The best thing I can suggest you is to do is to approach Dubai Immigration itself for your inquiries as they will be the one who can give you the appropriate answers. You can call the hotline number 800 5111 or visit their website www.dnrd.ae or go to the main immigration in Bur Dubai.

    Wishing you good luck.

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  10. HI Carla, Your post was so helpful and I had to go through the same process for my hubby when I applied for sponsorship of my hubby and kids just two weeks back . So I though I would post it here so that readers can get 2016 update on the procedures.

    My hubby recently changed jobs but it was taking too much time to get visa from new company and he and the kids were already overstay as the grace period after cancellation was over. And the new company was saying that he has to exit and come back for the new visa-which meant the kids also had to exit with him. As this would disrupt their school routine and our full routine, we decided to change their sponsorship under mine. For the kids it was okay I got the visa ready the same day.( Addtnl Info for readers- If mother has salary 4K minimum, it seems we can apply for the kids sponsorship, provided that their father is not in country or doesn't have a valid residency and ina ddition to standard documents, we also had to include NOC from my hubby for each kid, as he was their previous sponsor).

    However for my hubby, I had to follow the same procedures you mentioned. First when they took for the committee approval there was a AED 120 uregent request for committee fee . Then on the day when we got SMS and went back we had to pay AED 5040 ( humanitarian cases guarantee receipt) + 690 ( entry permit inside country)extra money. In addition as his previous visa was already cancelled and he had already exceeded the grace period time to also pay the overstay charges (aed 25/day) when we come back to the immigration counter from the typist. Additional one more charge of AEd445 (non renewal faster residence penalty huniatarian cases + AED220( file of resident sponsor).

    However the best thing to note that is that as you mentioned it is all decided on case by case basis. For example mine was given for committee when we applied, though my salary was 14K+, however when we were at the typist there was a filipinna sales girl (with salary on 4K+) but whose application for her hubby (who was on visit visa) approved instantly by immigration ladies without any committee.

    And finally my special thanks to you for posting your experience as I had read this before we started the process and then when I was at immigration, I was rereading it, so that we knew in advance what was the next step to expect.

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    1. Hello potpourri, it warms my heart to know that what I've shared helped you in a way and thank you for the updates, I'm sure a lot of people reading this will benefit from it. It is also good to note that as you've mentioned above there are people who doesn't have to go through the same process we had to go through and can easily get visas for their dependents, you and I knows how stressful it can be. I hope our experience will serve a guide to those in the same situation.

      I am doing a happy dance for your success!!!

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  11. Hi My Yellow bells & Potpouri, I received an sms saying that "please visit humanitarian cases to collect application ", does it mean that it is approved? In the sms, will it indicate approved or reject? Thanks

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    1. Hi Huang Cher, we can't really tell but when I received the same sms, mine was approved. I hope yours too. Update us ok?

      Sending you good vibes.

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  12. Not sure if this blog is still active and if you're answering comments. But my application to sponsor my husband just got rejected. :-(

    I'm also in marketing and my salary is 14K plus accommodation per month. Can I apply again or perhaps appeal to the committee? The first time I applied, they just told us to apply through a typing center online. They didn't mention a committee. What can I do? This is so disappointing. :-(

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  13. i have the same issue now. i want to sponsor my husband and im not under the required category. my monthly salary is 12,370 and basic is around 7,030. i also have a flat under my name. will this qualify me at this present stage? i wonder if the Dubai government has changed the policy. I hope someone here can provide me an update of the present rules. Thank you so much.

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