Dubai Spouse Visa – Requirements and Options

It is an important decision to move to another country with your wife or husband. A large number of the expatriates coming to work in Dubai prefer to take their spouses and children with them. This is not a problem, but you have to arrange visas first. There are some specific requirements that you have to take into account. Generally, the same rules apply for bringing spouse and children. However, the situation with adults can be a bit more complex. That is why this article focuses on the arranging and obtaining a Dubai spouse visa.

Any immigrant needs to have a sponsor in order to obtain a resident visa. This is the legal requirement in UAE. As a worker, you will have your employer as a sponsor. At the same time you can be the sponsor of your wife. You have to comply with a number of requirements in order to qualify as a sponsor. Firstly, your salary has to be at least 4,000 Dhs per month. If your company provides you with accommodation, then this limit can be lowered to 3,000 Dhs. However, the house or apartment you live in must not be shared.

If you are a wife working in Dubai and intending to support her husband coming to the emirate, you must comply with slightly different requirements. You have to earn at least 5,000 Dhs per month. In addition, you must have a certain profession and/ or job position to qualify as a sponsor. For instance, you may be eligible if you are an engineer, but not if you are a nurse. It is best to check with the local authorities to determine your individual eligibility for becoming a sponsor. In some cases, the profession may be disregarded as long as the wife earns more than 10,000 Dhs per month.

The local authorities are planning to introduce changes to the visa sponsorship requirements for spouses. After the law is modified, the sponsor may be required to have a salary of at least 10,000 Dhs per month irrespective of whether they are the husband or the wife. Before this change is officially introduced, the remuneration requirements might increase gradually. You have to take this into consideration if you plan to work in Dubai in the future.

You have to take into account the fact that as a sponsor, whose relationship to the sponsored is personally, you can provide your wife or husband with a resident visa only. This does not give your spouse the right to work in Dubai. However, this does not mean that it is impossible for your wife or husband to get a job. If they apply and are approved for a position, they should obtain a work permit from their employer. Alternatively, if your spouse plans to work in the emirate, they can apply for a job in Dubai before you leave home and obtain an employment visa with the employer being the sponsor. It is not advisable for your spouse to take any kind of job, even a part-time one, without having a labor card.