Bringing my maid to UAE

[winnie]

Hi all

I have secured a job offer and I have received my entry permit. I have been told that when I arrive I will need to do a medical and then if all is well I will get the stamp in my passport which is the residency visa. Can anyone tell me how long does it take from entry at airport to getting the residency visa? Also, is there an expedite process for an additional fee?

The reason I ask is that I would like to bring my Philippino maid who has looked after my family for the past few years, but I understand that I cannot sponsor her until I myself have my residency visa - is that correct? Also, once I have my residency visa, how long does it take for me to obtain the correct visa for my maid?

My concern is to do with timing in that we would like the maid to be with the family as much as possible. She is very much a part of the family.

Many thanks

W

[storm]

Hi and welcome to the Dubai forums winnie

Yes, you need your UAE residency visa before you can sponsor a maid. There are other conditions - your salary must be more than AED 6000/month, or AED 5000/month if compnay provides you with accommodation. Bachelors cannot sponsor a maid, and the maid has to be a national of Bangladesh, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Philippines, or Sri Lanka. The maid visa is renewable annually and costs AED 5100 plus a few other fees (allow AED 1000). There is also a deposit of AED 5000 required but I'm not sure if that's only for the entry permit for the maid, or also for the residence visa which you apply for after the maid has entered the country. Check a website like dubai.ae or dnrd.gov.ae for more details. How long it takes I'm not sure but as the entry permit for the maid is probably valid for 30 days, I would assume that the system should result in the residency visa issued within that time, if all documents are in order. There could be an extra fee you could pay for urgent processing.

How long it takes for your own residency visa is hard to say. It depends mostly on the company (although they'll often tell you otherwise). Some people get their residence visa within a couple of weeks, for others it takes months because the company is slow. Sometimes there can be delays with the UAE immigration department - usually around holidays or Ramadan, or possibly because the company is in their bad books for some reason. Yes, as far as I know you can pay a fee for quicker processing. Here's more about UAE visas .

www.dubaifaqs.com/visa-dubai.php
www.dubaifaqs.com/visa-maid-uae.php

[winnie]

Many thanks for your answer.

So, firstly the maid and I do satisfy the criteria that you have listed. However, I am trying to understand more about the urgent processing fee. What is the official term for this? Who should we ask about this? I presume that this expedites the stamping of the residency visa AFTER the results of my medical. Is that correct? My company has been very efficient thus far but do not seem to know much about the urgent processing fee.

At present, my maid is travelling with us on the same flight into Dubai. We have managed to obtain a tourist visa for her thru the hotel that we are staying in so she is not entitled to work whilst in Dubai. I understand that this is for 30 days. So during these 30 days, I have to get my residency finalised (quickly) and start the process of applying for her employment entry permit. Do you think this will be possible in this timescale?

Thanks

W

[winnie]

So, we have finally arrived and was just about to start applying for my maid's visa through the DIFC (who is also my sponsor) only to discover that the fee is AED 14K which seems really expensive! Is there another way? Trouble is, my maid is currently staying with us on a tourist visa sponsored by the hotel - 30 days and non-renewable. We do not want her to leave whilst the visa is being processed. What are my options?

[storm]

That sounds expensive , but the DIFC is a free zone so maybe they have different charges and rules. I'm sorry I don't know, I thought all maid visas were processed by the DNRD. You could try contacting them and asking if you can sponsor your maid directly with them. More information here - www.dubaifaqs.com/dnrd.php

[winnie]

Well, looking back at my original posts, it all seems incredibly naive...

So, I did manage to get my maid's visa all processed and sorted out - it did cost me an arm and a leg. Subsequently, my wife took her to London (after I arranged and paid for a UK visa) and she absconded... I've known her for six years and has worked directly for me for 2 years... oh well, she has to do what she has to do...

Anyway, my question now is what do I need to do? I guess I have to report it to the immigration department. What does that involve and do they charge a fee for it? What is the implicatoon if I do not report it? Can't really be bothered to go thru the admin and expense if i do not gain anything from it...

Thanks for your answers in advance.

[shawarma]

Hello winnnie, sorry to hear about your absconding maid .

As you are the sponsor, that means that you could be held responsible for whatever she does. How that translates into reality I'm not sure but if she does a runner from the UAE and leaves debts behind for example, it could be that you are liable for them. By reporting her as absconding, that should mean that the system no longer holds you accountable if she gets into trouble, so yes I would definitely report her. You could also try phoning the DNRD helpline and ask them about fees and necessity of reporting her but I would be surprised if they said anything other than yes you should report her.

Another issue to consider is if/when you want to hire a new maid, if you haven't reported the previous absconding maid, you may find the DNRD wants to know what happened before processing visa and work permit for the new maid, and could make it difficult for you to sponsor a new maid.

[motako]

Hey winnie,

Strange enough DNRD told me I can not bring my maid because she is Pilipino, and that maids from the Philippines can only be brought into Dubai through a local maid agency. Apparently this info is incorrect since you managed to get yours.
Can you please share the procedure you followed and how much was the arm & leg that cost you? was it 14k ?

Thank you