A view of a villa in Dubai. File

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

The Digital Government (DG) of the United Arab Emirates has set several conditions for bringing in relatives of a resident or his wife’s relatives, and issuing a residence visa for them. The DG stressed that the relationship of kinship, whatever its degree, must first be proved, and if the foreigner is a relative of a resident or his wife, he must be the father, mother, and minor siblings.

There must be a proper housing place and a monthly income, as the resident is allowed to bring 5 persons if his monthly income is Dhs10,000 and 6 persons if it is Dhs15,000, the DG stressed, adding that if the number is more than 6, the Director General of the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Ports Security (ICP) will decide on the matter.

The residence visa, according to the DG, is issued for one year and can be renewed, provided that there is a guarantor or host, and the applicant’s humanitarian situation is taken into account, according to 5 conditions, the first of which is if his country is in war or suffering from disasters or disturbances. The foreigner in this case has to be inside the country, and has appropriate financial solvency and suitable housing.

DG also specified the conditions for bringing a foreigner to reside without working, as financial solvency must be available. The monthly income must be Dhs3,000 with housing provided by the employer, proportional to the number of people residing. A certified lease contract or property title deed must also be provided. In case the monthly income is Dhs4,000, housing is not required.

DG al government said that there are 3 categories excluded from canceling residency if the foreigner’s stay outside the country exceeds 180 days, and they are: holders of a golden residence visa and their family members, holders of a green residence visa and their family members, and cases that the ICP director sees they can be excluded based on a submitted request after paying the prescribed fee.

According to the DG, there are also 5 categories of foreigners who are allowed to remain in the country after the cancellation or expiration of residency visa, for a period of 180 days. These include holders of golden residency visa and green residency visa, their family members, the widow or divorcee of a foreigner residing in the country, students studying after the end of their studies, and the parents, children, and spouse of the citizen, or citizens holding foreign passports. There are also two categories that are allowed to stay in the country for a period of 90 days. These include skilled professionals who have jobs of first, second and third levels, and property owners. There is also one category that is allowed to stay in the country for a period of 60 days, and they are holders of residency visa which is issued under a guarantor or host.

As for the rest of the categories, they are allowed to stay in the country for only 30 days, DG stressed.