My son has special needs and is completely dependent on his mother and myself. He will be 17 in March and is sponsored by me. His residency visa will expire in April this year, so are we eligible to renew his visa for another three years? Is there any way to renew the residence visa of a special needs son after reaching 18 years of age on his father’s sponsorship? A M, Dubai
As a general rule, a father is able to sponsor his son up to age 18 years, or up to age 21 if the son is in full-time education, whether in the UAE or abroad. While these are the stated and published rules, a special application can be made to the relevant department in the emirate where the family lives. In this particular case, inquiries should be made to the General Directory and Foreigner Affairs (GDFA) – Dubai (dnrd.ae/en). The GDFA has issued public statements advising that it has set up a special committee to assess humanitarian cases, and I believe this case would come under its remit. While there are no guarantees, with the right proof of dependency A M should have a good case to apply for a standard two-year residency visa for his son.
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Read more from Keren Bobker:
Repatriation is not an obligation if an employee resigns
Can I return to the UAE if my last work visa was never cancelled?
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I have worked for a construction company for seven years and am now on my fourth visa. For the past two years I have not been receiving my salary every month, and it is always delayed. Now I have four months’ salary pending. That is the total due, although it is not for consecutive months. Should I move to another company to get the outstanding salary and gratuity as per UAE law? Also, can my company ban me if I leave or go to labour court? B G, Abu Dhabi
The first thing B G must do is register a case against the employer at the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE). The telephone number is 800 665. In a case such as this, the MoHRE will be sympathetic and helpful.
Generally, an employee can leave a company without consequences if they have not been paid for three consecutive months, but if some payments have been made over the past three months, B G will need to obtain written clearance from MoHRE to leave or he will have to compensate the company for breaking his fixed-term contract.
Even if he was resigning or leaving, as he has been with the same employer for more than five years he would be entitled to receive his end of service gratuity in full.
Assuming the MoHRE rules against the company and B G is able to leave without notice or penalty, the company would not be able to apply for a labour ban against him.
__________
Read more:
Can I return after being rejected for UAE visa due to diagnosis of hepatitis B?
Am I allowed to re-enter the UAE after deportation?
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My labour card expired yesterday but I have an employment visa that is valid until February 7. My managers say they will cancel my visa by February 1, so can I stay for another 30 days after February 7? What happens if I stay longer? A P, Dubai
The dates on a labour card and employment-related residency visa should be the same, so it is unusual in this case that they are different. If an employer cancels a visa, the date of cancellation is the date that it ends. In this case, if A P’s visa is cancelled on February 1, he will no longer have residency from that date.
Once the visa has been officially cancelled, a person has a 30-day grace period and must exit the UAE before this expires to avoid fines for illegally overstaying. A P will therefore, need to have left by March 2 to avoid a penalty. If someone overstays, either as they have not exited the UAE or a new employment visa is not processed in time, a penalty is payable. The fine for the first day is Dh125, and then a further Dh25 for each subsequent day. There is also a further service fee of Dh100 on exiting the country. These are the official fees as shown on the Ministry of Interior website, but VAT will be payable on top of these quoted amounts. Note that anyone that significantly exceeds the grace period, that is by a further 30 days or more, could find that they are further penalised and added to an immigration blacklist that could prevent them from re-entering the UAE at a later date. The fines for overstaying on a tourist visa are different: Dh200 for the first day and Dh100 for subsequent days, plus VAT.
Keren Bobker is an independent financial adviser and senior partner with Holborn Assets in Dubai, with over 20 years’ experience. Contact her at keren@holbornassets.com. Follow her on Twitter at @FinancialUAE.
The advice provided in our columns does not constitute legal advice and is provided for information only.
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How to improve Arabic reading in early years
One 45-minute class per week in Standard Arabic is not sufficient
The goal should be for grade 1 and 2 students to become fluent readers
Subjects like technology, social studies, science can be taught in later grades
Grade 1 curricula should include oral instruction in Standard Arabic
First graders must regularly practice individual letters and combinations
Time should be slotted in class to read longer passages in early grades
Improve the appearance of textbooks
Revision of curriculum should be undertaken as per research findings
Conjugations of most common verb forms should be taught
Systematic learning of Standard Arabic grammar
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Saturday, May 16 (kick-offs UAE time)
Borussia Dortmund v Schalke (4.30pm)
RB Leipzig v Freiburg (4.30pm)
Hoffenheim v Hertha Berlin (4.30pm)
Fortuna Dusseldorf v Paderborn (4.30pm)
Augsburg v Wolfsburg (4.30pm)
Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia Monchengladbach (7.30pm)
Sunday, May 17
Cologne v Mainz (4.30pm),
Union Berlin v Bayern Munich (7pm)
Monday, May 18
Werder Bremen v Bayer Leverkusen (9.30pm)
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAlmouneer%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202017%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dr%20Noha%20Khater%20and%20Rania%20Kadry%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEgypt%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E120%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBootstrapped%2C%20with%20support%20from%20Insead%20and%20Egyptian%20government%2C%20seed%20round%20of%20%3Cbr%3E%243.6%20million%20led%20by%20Global%20Ventures%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: BorrowMe (BorrowMe.com)
Date started: August 2021
Founder: Nour Sabri
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: E-commerce / Marketplace
Size: Two employees
Funding stage: Seed investment
Initial investment: $200,000
Investors: Amr Manaa (director, PwC Middle East)
Tree of Hell
Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla
Director: Raed Zeno
Rating: 4/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Revibe%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hamza%20Iraqui%20and%20Abdessamad%20Ben%20Zakour%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Refurbished%20electronics%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%20so%20far%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2410m%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFlat6Labs%2C%20Resonance%20and%20various%20others%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
When Umm Kulthum performed in Abu Dhabi
Known as The Lady of Arabic Song, Umm Kulthum performed in Abu Dhabi on November 28, 1971, as part of celebrations for the fifth anniversary of the accession of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan as Ruler of Abu Dhabi. A concert hall was constructed for the event on land that is now Al Nahyan Stadium, behind Al Wahda Mall. The audience were treated to many of Kulthum's most well-known songs as part of the sold-out show, including Aghadan Alqak and Enta Omri.
Planes grounded by coronavirus
British Airways: Cancels all direct flights to and from mainland China
Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific: Cutting capacity to/from mainland China by 50 per cent from Jan. 30
Chicago-based United Airlines: Reducing flights to Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong
Ai Seoul: Suspended all flights to China
Finnair: Suspending flights to Nanjing and Beijing Daxing until the end of March
Indonesia's Lion Air: Suspending all flights to China from February
South Korea's Asiana Airlines, Jeju Air and Jin Air: Suspend all flights
MATCH INFO
Manchester United 1 (Rashford 36')
Liverpool 1 (Lallana 84')
Man of the match: Marcus Rashford (Manchester United)
How to help
Donate towards food and a flight by transferring money to this registered charity's account.
Account name: Dar Al Ber Society
Account Number: 11 530 734
IBAN: AE 9805 000 000 000 11 530 734
Bank Name: Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank
To ensure that your contribution reaches these people, please send the copy of deposit/transfer receipt to: juhi.khan@daralber.ae
RESULT
Manchester City 1 Sheffield United 0
Man City: Jesus (9')