SHARJAH, 9 August 2005 — The United Arab Emirates government has decided to raise to more than five times the fee for visit visas and approved regulations for sponsorship changes for foreign workers, a prominent newspaper reported yesterday.
Under the decision, a visit visa valid for two months will cost 600 dirhams and renewing it will cost 1,200 dirhams, according to a report in the mass-circulation Al Khaleej Arabic daily. At present, it costs 100 dirhams for a two-month vist visa and 500 dirhams to extend it for another month.
Processing fee by private agencies, who type and prepare the documents and then arrange to deliver the visas to the applicant’s address, is not included.
Al Khaleej did not say when the renewed fee will take effect.
The paper also reported that the Cabinet has approved a set of regulations for sponsorship changes.
Under the regulations, a post-graduate could apply for a sponsorship change after serving a minimum of one year with the current sponsor and payment a fee of 1,500 dirhams.
He can change his sponsor as many times he wants but has to pay the fee each time. For graduates, the fee is 3,000 dirhams and they can apply for change of sponsorship twice during their stay in the country but only after working for their current sponsor for a minimum of two years.
For other categories, the fee is 5,000 dirhams and the number of sponsorship changes is limited to one during their stay in the country. They can change their sponsors after working for their current sponsor for a minimum of three years. A no-objection letter from the current sponsor along with an acceptance letter from the new sponsor is mandatory in all cases.
The government is also removing the system of an automatic six-month ban on any foreigner who has ended his or her employment contract and is leaving the country. Such ban will be imposed only on specific cases where the sponsor has requested it.
