The General Directorate for Identity and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFAD) in Dubai has published the official conditions for family sponsorship visas, requiring foreign residents to earn at least AED 3,000 or AED 4,000 monthly depending on housing, and limiting sponsorship of male children to age 25.
Salary and Housing Requirements for Sponsors
Under the new policy, eligible sponsors include UAE citizens sponsoring family members, UAE residents sponsoring their own families, and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) citizens doing the same. The GDRFAD states that a resident's monthly salary must be at least AED 3,000 (roughly ₦1.35 million) if housing is provided by an employer, or AED 4,000 (roughly ₦1.8 million) if the resident covers their own accommodation.
These figures represent the baseline income a foreign resident must demonstrate before any family sponsorship application can proceed. Once approved, the sponsored family member enters the country on a work entry visa that allows a stay of 60 days while full residency requirements are processed.
Rules for Business Partners and Additional Conditions
For residents who are business partners rather than salaried employees, the rules require that their share of any partnership be worth a minimum of AED 48,000 (roughly ₦21.6 million), as documented in a formal partnership agreement.
UAE citizens who wish to sponsor a foreign wife must submit either a salary certificate or a court-verified document confirming unemployment, depending on their work status. For GCC citizens looking to sponsor a wife, the wife must already be a resident in the GCC husband's home country and must present official documentation proving that residency before the application can be considered.
Age Limit for Male Children
On the question of children, the GDRFAD confirmed that resident parents can only sponsor male children up to the age of 25. The policy makes no age exception for sons beyond that threshold under a standard family sponsorship arrangement.
Related UAE Residency Policies
In a related story, Legit.ng reported that the UAE had announced the amount that foreigners need to make yearly to be eligible for a self-employed residency permit. Meanwhile, the UAE government previously stated that foreigners must earn at least AED 10,000 (₦3,668,618) per month to qualify for a real estate owner visa, a residency pathway for those investing in property in the UAE.
