The visa move aims to enhance the family stability of foreign workers and social cohesion, as well as attracting highly skilled workers, officials said. Delores Johnson / The National
The visa move aims to enhance the family stability of foreign workers and social cohesion, as well as attracting highly skilled workers, officials said. Delores Johnson / The National
The visa move aims to enhance the family stability of foreign workers and social cohesion, as well as attracting highly skilled workers, officials said. Delores Johnson / The National
The visa move aims to enhance the family stability of foreign workers and social cohesion, as well as attracting highly skilled workers, officials said. Delores Johnson / The National

UAE Cabinet to remove job title demand when sponsoring relatives


Nick Webster
  • English
  • Arabic

Foreign workers will be allowed to sponsor family members based on income rather than profession under the latest changes to the UAE’s residency rules.

The UAE Cabinet yesterday said the decision is aimed at "enhancing family stability of foreign workers and social cohesion, as well as attracting highly skilled workers".

At present, a resident can sponsor family members if they meet certain criteria, including a “managerial” title. 

Non-professionals and those who are skilled workers rather than degree holders do not necessarily meet the criteria to sponsor their families.

The Cabinet said that would change, although it did not set out how much a resident would have to earn to bring their family to the country.

Salary is currently taken into account when sponsoring a relative, but the minimum for a man is Dh4,000 or Dh3,000 plus accommodation. For a woman to sponsor her children, she must earn Dh10,000. 

By making income as one of the criteria instead of profession, the law has become more inclusive to cover not just professionals but skilled workers

By making income one of the criteria instead of profession, the law has become more inclusive to cover not just professionals but skilled workers.

The Cabinet called on relevant government departments “to conduct studies to assess and enhance the services provided to residents, including aspects of education and health, and encourage the active participation of their family member in the job market as an alternative to recruiting new workers from abroad, within the existing policies and regulations,” state news agency Wam reported.

Details are expected in the coming weeks, officials said on Sunday.

Barney Almazar, a director at Gulf Law who deals with immigration issues, said the move is likely to mean more foreign workers will be eligible to sponsor their families.

“By making income as one of the criteria instead of profession, the law has become more inclusive to cover not just professionals but skilled workers as well," he said.

“It is not uncommon that skilled workers, having years of experience, have been promoted to higher salary grades but cannot obtain a managerial position stamped on their visa due to lack of educational degree.

“Now, they may be able to sponsor their families as they can demonstrate their ability to support their dependents based on their income.

“Working on a foreign land is already difficult. But being with your family makes it worthwhile.”

The development is the latest in a series of changes to the visa system in the past year and follows a 2018 cabinet decision to relax rules in offering 10-year visas to some professionals.

Key workers like those in science, research and medicine were among a list of executives and entrepreneurs offered the opportunity to extend residency visas, as the nation shifts towards a more knowledge-based economy.

Keren Bobker, senior partner at Holborn Assets who covers personal finance and government regulations in her column for The National, said the cost of sponsoring a family member is expected to remain low.

“It seems to be intended to be fairer than the current rules as it should not exclude any occupations,” she said.

“Under the previous rules domestic workers were not able to sponsor family members but most of these workers will have relatively low salaries, so may not have the means to do so.

“A further complication is where a domestic worker lives in their employer’s home but there may be cases where the employer may wish to employ both husband and wife, so this could work.”

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
  • Flexible payment plans from developers
  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
  • DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Specs

Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric

Range: Up to 610km

Power: 905hp

Torque: 985Nm

Price: From Dh439,000

Available: Now

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The specs

Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo

Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed

Power: 271 and 409 horsepower

Torque: 385 and 650Nm

Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000

The Pope's itinerary

Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport


Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial


Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport

How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE

When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
 
Started: 2021
 
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
 
Based: Tunisia 
 
Sector: Water technology 
 
Number of staff: 22 
 
Investment raised: $4 million 
The Perfect Couple

Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor

Creator: Jenna Lamia

Rating: 3/5

MATCH INFO

Uefa Champioons League semi-final:

First leg: Liverpool 5 Roma 2

Second leg: Wednesday, May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome

TV: BeIN Sports, 10.45pm (UAE)

UK-EU trade at a glance

EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years

Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products

Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries

Smoother border management with use of e-gates

Cutting red tape on import and export of food