Changing jobs in the UAE? How to put your family’s visas on hold instead of cancelling them

Dubai: Planning to switch jobs in the UAE? If you are working on an employment visa, and have also sponsored your family in the UAE, you may be wondering how your visa change will affect your family’s visa status. The first thing to note is that as per the UAE’s immigration procedures, if a person’s visa is being cancelled, they would first need to cancel the visa of anyone who is on their sponsorship. So, if your family is under your sponsorship, normally you would first need to cancel their visas, before you can proceed with the process of switching your employment visa to your new employer. However, there is a process of putting your family’s visa ‘on hold’, in such cases, which allows sponsors to complete their visa transfer process before regularising their family’s residence visa. Here is all you need to know about the process and how to apply for it. What is the ‘visa hold’ process for family visas? “A Dubai resident may apply to place the residence files of their sponsored family members on hold where the sponsor needs to cancel or change their own Dubai residence permit, commonly when moving from one employer to another, but wishes to avoid cancelling the dependants’ residence permits during the transition,” Raluca Gatina, Partner and Legal Director at Elnaggar & Partners, told Emirates 24|7. Putting your family’s visa on hold requires sponsors to also put in a financial guarantee or deposit, which is refundable. However, this only works if you are switching jobs within the same emirate, according to Sirajudeen Ummer, Manager of Galaxy Digital Business Services. “If the new employment visa is issued in a different emirate, the visa holding service will not be possible, as family visas can only be held within the same emirate,” Ummer said. How can I put my family’s visa on hold? You can apply for the service through the following platforms: For visas issued in Dubai: General Directorate of Identity and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) Dubai website – www.gdrfa.ae The ‘GDRFA Dubai’ app, which is available for Apple and Android devices By visiting an Amer centre. You can find the location of an Amer centre near you, here (https://www.gdrfad.gov.ae/en/customer-happiness-centers). For visas issued in other emirates: Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) website – www.icp.gov.ae ‘UAE ICP’ smartphone application A typing centre registered with the ICP An ICP Customer Happiness Centre - https://icp.gov.ae/en/customer-happiness-centers/ Placing your family’s visa on hold in Dubai Documents required According to Gatina, these are the principal documents required for placing the family visa on hold in Dubai: A cancellation form for your own visa. An offer letter from the new employer stating your salary and profession. A remaining validity of at least three months on your dependants’ residence visa. The original passport and original Emirates ID of the dependents. The original passport and original Emirates ID of the sponsor. Payment of the applicable service fee and refundable security deposit. Fees: Warranty Deposit fee (Refundable amount): AED 5,000 Each family member’s visa holding fee: AED 100 If you apply through an Amer centre, you would also need to pay additional service fees. Process to follow Visit an Amer centre or start your application online through the GDRFA website or smartphone application. Submit the required documents. Make the payment for the service fees and the financial deposit. Make sure you keep the receipt or voucher you receive of the payment, as this will be needed later to request for the refund of your deposit. Once your family’s visa is successfully put on hold, you can then proceed with the process of transferring your own visa. This should be completed within a maximum of 60 days. Once you have your visa in place, you then need to apply for the release of the hold, and request for the refund of the financial deposit, by presenting proof of payment. Placing your family’s visa on hold in other emirates Documents required According to Ummer, the documents required to apply for the family visa on hold through the ICP, for all other emirates, are: A copy of the sponsor’s passport, existing residency visa and Emirates ID. Copy of the labour card cancellation. New job offer letter, the new employer’s company immigration card number and company name. A copy of the dependents’ passport, residence visa and Emirates ID. Process to follow Visit an ICP centre or start your application online through the ICP website or smartphone application. Submit the required documents. Make the payment for the service fees and the financial deposit. Make sure you keep the receipt or voucher you receive of the payment, as this will be needed later to request for the refund of your deposit. Once your family’s visa is successfully put on hold, you can then proceed with the process of transferring your own visa. This should be completed within a maximum of 60 days. Once yo