Expats Must Earn More to Sponsor Parents

IMPACT – Low

What is the change? Foreign workers in the United Arab Emirates who want to sponsor parents for residency must earn a minimum monthly salary of 20,000 dirhams.

What does the change mean? The sudden doubling of the minimum salary requirement will likely be prohibitive for some foreign workers who seek to sponsor their parents.

• Implementation timeframe: Immediate.
• Visas/permits affected: Residence visas for parents of foreign residents.
• Who is affected: Foreign nationals sponsoring parents for long-term residency visas.

Background: Effective immediately, the Department of Immigration has raised the minimum salary requirement from 10,000 dirhams to 20,000 dirhams for expatriates applying for their parents to live in the United Arab Emirates. Alternatively, a worker can show that he or she earns 19,000 per month and lives in a two-bedroom apartment or larger.

The old rules required proof of a 10,000 dirham per month salary, or 9,000 dirhams per month plus a two-bedroom living space.

Residence visas for parents of foreign nationals are granted on a humanitarian basis and also on proof that the foreign resident is the sole provider for his or her parents. The sponsoring employee must present a salary letter or work contract showing that his or her salary meets the new minimum. The same rules apply for a foreign national seeking to sponsor his or her parents-in-law.

BAL analysis: Employers and foreign workers with dependent parents should be aware of the stricter salary requirements when planning assignments.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice group and our network partner in the United Arab Emirates. For additional information, please contact GlobalVisaGroup@bal.com.

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