Resolution allowing expats to sponsor their families based on income comes into force

The Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship (ICA) announced that it is adopting Cabinet Resolution No.30 for 2019 regarding foreign residents wishing to bring their family members and servants to the UAE, which changed the main condition of acquiring residency from employment to income.

The resolution allows foreigners residing in the UAE to bring family members, classified as wife or husband, sons under the age of 18 and unmarried daughters, to reside in the UAE, as long as the total family income is Dhs3,000 per month and their employer provides housing, or Dhs4,000 per month without housing.

Potential beneficiaries must provide proof of appropriate housing and health insurance for their families, as well as their registration in the national population database.

They must also apply for IDs for every family member.

Major General Saeed Al Rashidi, Director-General of Foreigners Affairs and Ports at the ICA, said that the resolution aims to ensure the stability of foreign workers in the UAE by allowing them to bring their families to the country, adding that the UAE Cabinet has instructed national authorities to research the resolution’s potential effects and offer basic services.

He explained that the sponsor, whether male or female, 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.

Major General Al Rashidi pointed out that widowed and divorced women can also sponsor their children, but they must present a recently issued divorce or death certificate to prove custody.

The resolution requires families to declare one sponsor, either a husband or wife, to prevent multiple sponsors.

WAM