Tag / immigration

by findingbackroads

How to transfer UAE visa sponsorship for children

benjamin-visa 2

Like hundreds of thousands of expatriates in Dubai, we all require a visa to work and live here. Mine and my husband’s employment visas are sponsored by our respective employers. Either of us but usually the husband (“head of the family”) can then sponsor our children and our house help.

When we first came to Dubai in 2007 because of my work, I sponsored my husband and our daughter because my husband did not have any work that time. Sponsoring husband and children in the UAE is allowed but can sometimes become a tedious job that requires extra paper work. Not all women are allowed to become family sponsors due to the fact that this is a Muslim country and the immigration department insists that the child’s sponsor be the father in all circumstances. However, in case the husband (Father) has lost job and got his visa cancelled, it will be necessary for wife (mother) to sponsor the visa, if the mother works in UAE. 

Our son, Benjamin is under his father’s sponsorship but due to changes in his employment situation, we needed to transfer the visa under my sponsorship. Pristine had been under my sponsorship since 2007.

I receive a lot of inquiries via my private email regarding this so this blog post. Hope this helps.

REQUIREMENTS
* Please note that when the wife becomes the sponsor, the immigration officers deal with this in a case to case basis so additional documents may be needed other than the ones listed below.

1. Original passport of child/children to be sponsored

2. Original passport of sponsor

3. No objection letter (should be typewritten as handwritten is not accepted). It should state that the current sponsor (in our case, my husband) has no objection/accepts that the visa sponsorship is transferred to the new sponsor (in our case, mine). In some cases, the immigration officer might ask for this letter in Arabic so better prepare both in English and Arabic. We were lucky they accepted ours in English.

4. Labor contract of new sponsor – The sponsor’s monthly salary shall be Dhs3,000 + accommodation or a total of Dhs4,000 as per the employment contract approved by the Ministry of Labour. The Contract to be attested from Immigration Department on payment of Dhs120.

5. Proof that husband cannot sponsor – we presented the end of contract letter from his company.

6. Birth certificate of child

7. Marriage certificate

8. Tenancy contract (accommodation rental agreement). It has to be attested through Ejari online system of Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA).  The Tenancy contract should be under the sponsor’s name. Our tenancy contract is under my husband’s name so we attached his passport copy and explained that we are living together.

9. Electricity bill (I think this is used as proof of address)

10. 1 photograph of the child in white background

PROCEDURE
1. Go to the immigration office (the main is in Jaffliya but you can also apply at the municipality office, we went to the one in Al Twar near where we live).

2. With all the required documents, approach an authorized typing center (there is a typing center in all immigration branches). Tell them whether the child is in the country or outside the country. You pay the visa fees at the typing center.

3. Once  the typing is done for the new Entry permit, approach the immigration department and present your application.

4. This is where you will be asked to see the supervisor who will assess this as a “humanitarian case”, check all your documents and HOPEFULLY sign the entry permit form. You may be asked questions as to why there is a need to transfer the visa (where is the father? What is his visa status?)

5. Once you receive the Entry Permit, if the child is inside UAE, you need to get the status changed by again approaching typing center and typing the form.

6. When that is done, approach the immigration desk again to stamp the visa.

*Medical is not required for children below the age of 18 years.

COST
We paid Dhs 830 at the typing center. This includes Residence visa fee, transfer fee and Emirates ID.

IMMIGRATION BRANCH LOCATIONS

Main Branch
Bur Dubai, Karama, Opposite Jafiliya Metro Station
Working Time: 7:30am – 8pm (Sun-Thu)
Immigration Call Centre 800 5111

Dubai International Airport (Terminal 3)
Gate No.2, Departures area
Phone: 04-707 5388
Timing: Around the clock, seven days a week (including holidays)
Services: All visa related services (including e-gate card)
NOTE: Urgent service only for new visa stamping and renewal (Courier service not available)

DNATA Emirates Building
Near Clock Tower, Deira
Phone: 04-707 5946
(Dh25 extra service charge for each transaction)
Timing: 7:30 to 2:30pm

A’amal Center – Hyatt Regency
Hyatt Regency Hotel-Deira
Business Centre, First Floor
Phone: 04-707 5922
(Dh30 extra service charge for each transaction)
Timing: 8am to 2:30pm

Municipality Service Centre
Al Towar, Qusais, Opposite Al Towar Mall
Phone: 04-707 5162
Timing: 7:30 to 8pm

Bin Souqat Centre
Al Rashidiya
Phone: 04-707 5939
Timing: 7:30 to 8pm

Arabian Centre
Mirdif / Al Mizhar
Phone: 04-707 5181
Timing: 7:30am – 8pm

by findingbackroads

Filipino tourists continue to struggle with corrupt Philippine immigration

Instead of posting in the comments, you can now ask questions or post your travel success story at my new community forum: http://sandierpastures.com/sandier-pastures-community-forum

I woke up this morning to this news from The National: Tourists heading for UAE fleeced in immigration scam

It’s time we AGAIN highlight the dirty, ugly things going on at the Philippine airports. The blog post I wrote almost two years ago regarding the new rule for Filipinos traveling to Dubai still gets a lot of hits from Google search and has over 300 comments. The blog post discusses the so called “Affidavit of Support” (AOS) introduced by the Philippine government for Filipino tourist visa holders to supposedly “protect” them from human trafficking.

But what has happened to the original intention “to protect”?

According to the article in The National:

Filipinos coming to the UAE on tourist visas are being hit for cash by corrupt immigration officers in return for permission to leave the country.

Maria Antonette Bucasas-Mangrobang, spokeswoman for the Bureau of Immigration in Manila, said: “Why do they have to pay in the first place? We don’t sit easily with complaints like these.

“Please give us names. If they have allegations, we can’t act on them unless they identify the immigration officers.”

Allegations!? Don’t the airport have security cameras around? Surely anybody can trace all movements around the airport for suspicious activities! And it’s not like this is a rare hush-hush scene. The people extorting money from tourist visa holders are not exactly discreet.

You ask: Why pay in the first place? Because if it is the only way to escape the FBI-like interrogation and the only way to get that chance of a better future, the people are left without any choice. As far as I know, everyone has the right to travel (blocking that right is unconstitutional and only if the person is in the criminal list) and when and where else is it required that a tourist has to have a relative in the country of destination? (one of the requirements to exit the Philippines is that you should have a relative sponsoring you in Dubai/UAE)

I am appalled at how Ms. Spokeswoman is playing blind and deaf. People are desperate to leave the country to find a better life Ms. Mangrobang. Why don’t you take time out of your busy schedule to actually be present inside the airport to see the situation? It is not hard to see the truth happening right under your nose if you are willing to open your eyes.

Ms. Spokeswoman, I urge you to read this article from The National, published in March 20, 2011 wherein the Philippine Vice President reports on allegations of bribery at Manila airport to extort cash from Filipinos bound for the UAE. So you don’t ask like you’re surprised to hear this “allegations” – it’s been an ongoing problem for the past two years at least.

Looking through the comments in my blog post left by distraught Filipino travelers looking for answers and seeking support from one another. Some of them disclosed that they paid their way out because despite having proper documents people are still unjustly ‘offloaded’.

It is disgusting to note that a system made and implemented to ‘protect’ is becoming a profit generating scheme for the privileged few sitting at the Philippine airports.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The so called “Affidavit of Support” is NOT required by the immigration authorities at the UAE airports.