All you need to know about UAE’s significant update to residency visa laws effective immediately
Some welcome news for families dealing with UAE’s visa amnesty and general challenges. The government has allowed family heads to transfer sponsorship of children to working mothers provided they have a valid UAE residency visa.
The Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs, and Port Security (ICP-UAE) has announced the amendment effective immediately in cases where the head of the family is a residency violator and wishes to leave the country along with his family.
The family head must apply for exit permits enabling them to depart without fines or fees during the grace period until 31 October meant for regularising their status.
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In a media statement, the Authority clarified: “Family members are allowed to leave the country or regularise their status as appropriate if the head of the family and their family members are violators. If the head of the family benefits from the service of issuing a visa, the residency of the family members under his sponsorship is not cancelled, provided they are benefiting from the granted grace period.”
The Authority also explained that if the violating worker wishes to remain with their current employer, the employer must apply for a work permit renewal through the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratization’s channels, in line with established procedures to continue the contractual relationship.
However it should be noted that there will be no extension to the grace period that ends this month. Beginning 1 November, intensive campaigns will be launched to apprehend violators and reimpose fines on those who have not regularised their status during the grace period.
The UAE government has put all these measures in place to create a more flexible legal environment in the country and simplify the procedures for correcting status during this period, allowing beneficiaries to take advantage of the benefits offered, including exemption from fines and no re-entry ban stamp when leaving the country.
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