Dubai Female Expat Sponsorship Rules Add Confusion Due To Mixed Messages

The basis for expat sponsorship of family members is now set on salary rather than job title.

Clarification of the actual requirements for sponsorship was necessary after wives planning to sponsor their husbands were unsure of their right to do so after Dubai officials had been advising that sponsorship was limited to expat professionals earning over Dh4,000. A spokesperson from the emirate’s Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship clarified the issue, saying that both male and female expatriates are now able to sponsor their partners and children, provided their monthly wages were higher than Dh4,000, or Dh3,000 plus employer-provided accommodation.

Apparently, the issue became confusing as the government website hasn’t yet been updated as to the new requirements. When a local English language media outlet contacted Amer Center, one of Dubai’s one-stop visa and immigration services, the reporter was told the female sponsor section in the expat employment category had been removed, but the salary requirement for male spouse sponsorship was still set at Dh10,000 monthly. The basic Dh4,000 monthly salary and the Dh3,000 plus free housing only entitles women to sponsor their children.

Given the discrepancy between the agent’s comments and that of officials, it seems confusion is still the order of the day for employed female expats who wish to sponsor their husbands, especially as a further requirement means women who wish to do so must present a ‘certified written agreement’ from her husband as well as a certified marriage certificate plus each child’s birth certificate, all of which must be translated into the Arabic language. The requirement of ‘proof of their monthly income’ rather than just the income of the would-be female sponsor would seem to muddy the waters still more.