UAE Family Sponsorship Policy
Indian Expats Welcome New UAE Family Sponsorship Policy
A new family sponsorship policy that allows expats to sponsor their family based on their income came into effect in UAE from Sunday onwards. The Federal Authority for Identity and Emiratisation announced on Sunday that any resident earning whether male or female earning AED 4,000 without accommodation or AED 3,000 with company-provided accommodation can sponsor his/her family members (spouse and children under the age of 18 or unmarried daughters) in the UAE.
Earlier the criteria to family sponsorship was based on the profession of the expat. Only expats working in certain professions were allowed to sponsor their family members. According to the Major General Saeed Rakan Al Rashidi, Director General for Foreign Affairs and Ports at ICA, the new step will “promote family stability and social cohesion, and contribute to eliminating gender-related disadvantages in UAE society”.
To apply for the family sponsorship, the sponsor must present a certified marriage certificate and their children’s birth certificates translated into Arabic, as well as proof of their monthly income. A wife wishing to sponsor their children must attach a certified written agreement from her husband. Widowed and divorced women can also sponsor their children, but they must present a recently issued divorce or death certificate to prove custody.
The new family sponsorship also requires families to declare one sponsor, either a husband or wife, to prevent multiple sponsors. The new family sponsorship policy of the UAE government is welcomed by the Indian expat community wholeheartedly. With the new family sponsorship policy, lots of middle class Indian expats can now bring their families to the UAE.