No change in family visa rules: Al Merri
11:46AM Mon 5 May, 2014
Dubai: A top official has denied reports that expatriates seeking to sponsor families in Dubai need to have a minimum salary of Dh10,000.
Maj Gen Mohammad Ahmad Al Merri, Director of Dubai’s General Directorate for Residency and Foreigner Affairs (GDRFA), said news reports in some newspapers claiming an increase in salary limit to sponsor families in Dubai are inaccurate.
He added in a statement sent to Gulf News that all the branches of the directorate continue to operate as smoothly as ever, and are receiving the applications of all customers without the enforcement of any new rules.
Al Merri pointed out that any alterations to procedures are issued officially by the Ministry of Interior before their implementation in Dubai and all the other emirates. He added that the directorate operates with high transparency when it comes to services provided to customers.
Al Merri’s comments follow reports published by some newspapers over the last couple of days that the requirements for sponsoring family visas have changed. He said there is no change in the financial requirements for family sponsorship.
“Transactions are taking place as we speak on the normal Dh4,000 salary requirement,” an official at GDRFA told Gulf News. According to existing rules, an applicant needs to have a minimum salary of Dh4,000 or Dh3,000 with accommodation provided by the sponsor to apply for a visa for his family, including wife and children.
However, confusion remains at typing centres as they continue to claim that they have been facing cases of applications being rejected due to a purported change in the rules.
“We have been getting cases of rejection since late last week. People come back to us saying their applications were rejected because their salary is below Dh10,000,” said Shamsuddin, a typist in Karama.
Another typist added that applications for visa renewal continue to be processed and only new applications are being subjected to the “change”.
However, all typists confirmed that they haven’t received any official notification of any change in visa rules from the government.
Gulf News
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