UAE (United Arab Emirates) is a state situated in Western Asia which was formed in 1971. It is a federation of seven emirates i.e. Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Ulm Al Quwain, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah. UAE is amongst the most affluent countries and is credited for its booming tourism and other business sectors, thus expats are pouring in from all over the world to settle and make a living in this territory. The government has made the laws of obtaining a residence visa more simple and liberal in recent years. The technology-driven UAE vision system has made the steps to apply residence visa in UAE more convenient. Here is a simple guide on how to apply residence visa in UAE:

Eligibility for applying residence Visa:

UAE has a set criteria which is important for an expat to be eligible for the residence visa. These include:

• Employed by a company in UAE : The company is accountable for the sponsorship and procurement of residence visa. While the expat is residing in UAE.
• Owning a property: The property owner should apply for visa under his property name. Moreover, the value of property should be minimum AED 1 million.
• Investor of a company: Here also the investor should apply the visa under his company name.
• Expats reliant on the UAE residents: UAE residents like investor, property owners, employee of a company etc. can also sponsor expatriates. The expatriates can include house maids, spouses, children, parents and close relatives.
• Students in UAE universities: The international students visa is sponsored and applied under their universities name.
• Retired officials: They are eligible for 5 year long resident visa under certain conditions:
  • They should own a own a property worth 2 million AED or have assets worth 1 million AED.
  • They should have a regular income of 20,000 AED per month.

Treads for applying Residence Visa:

Applying for Entry Permit:

• An individual has to obtain entry permit to enter into any emirates of UAE. It is a document issued by General Directorate of Residency and Foreign Affairs (GDRFA) in Dubai and through Federal Authority of for Identity and and Citizenship in other states which enables a person to reside in UAE for a certain period of time. However, the validity of the permit depends on the reasons for the visit i.e.,
  • work permit
  • tourist permit
  • transit permit
  • family permit
• The sponsor of the expat need to obtain the entry permit before the their arrival in UAE. However, GCC countries like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman do not require a visa to enter into UAE. The sponsor has to procure the residence visa within the duration of the stay or else the expat will be deported.

Medical examination after arrival:

• A medical examination is conducted with a view to determine the health condition of an expatriate. The idea of the test is to ascertain that the expat is in good heath and is free from any communicable or infectious diseases. Besides many types of medical tests are conducted. For example:
  • A female domestic worker need to be tested for pregnancy before giving the medical certificate.
  • Every person has to be tested for COVID-19 due to the 2020 pandemic.

Procuring Emirates ID:

• The next step is to obtain a Emirates id; it is an identity proof of an individual which is issued by Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship (ICA).It serves various needs
  • availing government services
  • to travel within UAE as well as GCC countries.
  • to apply for residence visa.

• The steps to get a new ICA card:

1. Registration of the individual at any typing centers or through online website of ICA.
2. Fill the application and submit it to the concerned site/typing centre and pay the fees.
3. Complete the biometrics process.
4. The expatriate then have to submit all the required documents and proofs which will be mentioned in FICA website.
5. Collect your Emirates id from from Emirates post office.

Application of Residence Visa:

The residence visa can be obtained from two channels:

• Online channels: The residence visa can be applied through online portals of FICA and GDRFA (Dubai). Alternatively one can also use the mobile apps of the same websites to make it more convenient and efficient. Furthermore Dubai has amer.ae website for handling of the visa procurement.
• Offline channels: There are various typing centers where the application is typed and prepared through GDRFA of the corresponding emirate. However the application and processing of visas in Dubai is done through various Amer centers.

Potency of the Residence Visas

The potency of the residence visa differs from its type of sponsors to nature of the visit. The duration can range from 1, 2 or 3 years accordingly. Moreover the government recently added the 5 year and 10 year long resident visas which can be issued under the following conditions.

5 year long visas: These visas are issued to specific individuals who can be:

• Entrepreneurs and investors who have projects and assets worth more than 1 million AED.

• The investor’s capital investment should not be on loan and should be saved for at least three years.

• For students who have achieved outstanding performance in their schools and universities under specific marks criteria.

10 year long visas: The resident visas are issued based on precise cases:

• The investor or entrepreneur should have a total investment of 10 million AED.

• Are issued to persons with specialized talents like engineers, doctors, scientists, an achiever in any creative field. Moreover the UAE government has a set parameter to issue the visas.

Requirements for applying Visa:

• Original Passport
• Two passport size photos
• The entry visa, proof of your sponsor’s visa, proof of medical fitness and UAE health insurance.
• Valid entry permit.

UAE has a vast economy because of which more and more people are willing to get a resident visa of UAE. In addition to that you can enjoy various benefits like access to government services, investing and working etc. Thus considering settling in UAE is a wise decision.