Expatriate residents seeking to bring in their families into UAE, will have to draw a minimum monthly salary of Dh10,000, and should be able to provide their family with independent accommodation, a senior official said.
According to a decision by Maj. Gen. Nasser Al Awadi Al Menhali, Director General of the Naturalisation and Residency Department, the decision was made following a study by the Ministry of Interior about the negative effects of permitting residents to bring in their families without earning sufficient income and a suitable accommodation.
He clarified that the Ministry of Labour is not authorized to deal with the status of relatives of the residents who come to the country on residents’ sponsorships.
According to Al Menhali, raising the minimum wages will help to cope with the cost of living, school fees, rents, and health care. A resident should be able to support his family and afford their living costs to enable them to lead a decent life, inline with labour and residency laws.
This change has become necessary due to increasing violations happening when relatives seem to be a burden to their sponsors, he added.
Earlier, the minimum salary requirement was Dh.3000, but the amount was later raised to Dh.4000 and then to Dh.6000 due to the rapid development and economic growth.
The new decision will get effective when the by-laws of the Residency Law are amended, Al Menhalli revealed.
He added that his department will not permit any resident who does not rent an apartment or an independent house to bring in family members. However, under special cases, the Interior Ministry may study the humanitarian situation of a resident and help them bring their family, if there arises an urgent humanitarian need.
Posted on 3/7/2009 Social Bookmarking
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