# Visa for girlfriends son



## Churmie (May 26, 2014)

I have a quite normal relationship in the UK, which doesn't necessarily fit the ideal criteria for visa acceptance in the UAE. I have a girlfriend who has a son, and we all live together. I have been offered a job in Dubai, and whilst I know it is illegal to live to together out of marriage, i do know it is not uncommon.

Problem is, getting a visa for my stepson. My girlfriend could get a temporary visa whilst looking for work, but does it mean we will not be able to register him for a school until my girlfriend gets a job and a permanent visa?

That would mean she would have to get a job pretty much straight away when joining me here in Dubai, otherwise there is the possibility of our boy not being in education for a period of time, until she does. Is there any ways around this?

Any useful advice would be kindly welcomed!

Lee


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## Mr Rossi (May 16, 2009)

Couple of options

1 - Come out on your own first and see if you like it. Dubai isn't for everyone and jobs aren't always what they make out to be. Get the lay of the land, settle into your job and deal with the issue in 1,2 or 3 months time. They can always visit.

2 - Your girlfriend could come out on a tourist visit visa but yes, she won't be able to enroll him into a school. You could home school but you are leaving yourselves exposed regarding medical care and a few other things.

3 - Get married. Not as frivolous as it sounds, there's probably a good number of people that had "on the cards" speeded up by a job offer here.


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## scrappydoo (May 20, 2014)

Your girlfriend would also need the written consent of the child's father (legalised by a law professional I believe but perhaps others could clarify) to bring her son here. She couldn't just bring him here (as you would to most other countries) without this consent. 

It is done although illegal to live together and many, many people I know do just that but throw a child into the mix and you are up against so many barriers. Your girlfriend would need to have a full work visa before she could sponsor her son and therefore get him into the formal education system.

As Mr Rossi said, if you were planning some day to get married, it will make life a whole lot easier for you all but you will still need the consent of the boy's father before you bring him out here. Perhaps if you did marry, you could look at adopting the boy.

If you did come out, with your GF and her son on visit visas, you then have to consider medical issues and would need to check the validity of your travel insurance for prolonged periods. You know how kids can get into scrapes in the blink of an eye or pick up all sorts of bugs.

It is not insurmountable to all come out together but it will be stressful and could cause you more problems than it is worth.


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## Churmie (May 26, 2014)

Thank you guys. Got a few obstacles to overcome, so will have to work on a plan. Nothing ever runs smooth... &#55357;&#56842;


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## TallyHo (Aug 21, 2011)

If you're not willing to marry her, then don't bring her to the UAE. It's as simple as that. 

No marriage, no visa for her (and can't always assume she'll find a job, if she's a hairdresser, for example, or a shop assistant, forget about it), no visa for the child, which means no school for the child. You'd have to be careful about everything, including medical emergencies if the child should ever get hurt or you all get into an accident. It even only takes one nasty neighbor to put two and two together and report you to the authorities. If you are discovered by the authorities to be cohabiting outside marriage, you *will* be arrested, imprisoned, sentenced and eventually deported. The authorities don't conduct witch hunts but if the matter is brought to their attention they will arrest you and your partner.

If you're not married, the company will not provide health insurance for your partner or her child. Nor do I think they can get health insurance on their own without a residency visa. Forget about school fees. Or potentially higher housing allowances. 

People do cohabit outside marriage but not with children. 

You need to think long and hard about the importance of this relationship versus this job.


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## scrappydoo (May 20, 2014)

Churmie said:


> Thank you guys. Got a few obstacles to overcome, so will have to work on a plan. Nothing ever runs smooth... &#55357;&#56842;



If you come over here with that attitude, then you won't go far wrong and anything that exceeds your expectations will be a bonus!! This place is enough to test the patience of a saint but I have found forums to be a great source of information - you have to weed out the rubbish and some people are negative for the sake of it but yes, you do you have lot of hoops to jump through and obstacles but get those sorted and the rest should hopefully pale into insignificance.

Good luck!


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## nerd_deluxe (Nov 19, 2013)

TallyHo said:


> If you're not willing to marry her, then don't bring her to the UAE. It's as simple as that.
> 
> No marriage, no visa for her (and can't always assume she'll find a job, if she's a hairdresser, for example, or a shop assistant, forget about it), no visa for the child, which means no school for the child. You'd have to be careful about everything, including medical emergencies if the child should ever get hurt or you all get into an accident. It even only takes one nasty neighbor to put two and two together and report you to the authorities. If you are discovered by the authorities to be cohabiting outside marriage, you *will* be arrested, imprisoned, sentenced and eventually deported. The authorities don't conduct witch hunts but if the matter is brought to their attention they will arrest you and your partner.
> 
> ...


As someone who recently:
- got a job offer in the UAE
- sped up the marriage decision based on intent to take said job
- went through 90% of the process and procedure to get set up in Dubai
- Promptly moved to Thailand when an offer through above company came up (and am very pleased, coup be darned). Now I may change my tune if the coup situation gets ugly, but all has been calm to present. :fingerscrossed:

I wholly support the above statement. Law seems to be applied in a VERY inconsistent manner, but when it _IS_ applied, it can get ugly. Plus, the ability to do everyday stuff: driver's license, bank account, health insurance, etc - is compromised or much more difficult.


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## vantage (May 10, 2012)

it's OK..... HARIBO do engagement rings...


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## BedouGirl (Sep 15, 2011)

vantage said:


> it's OK..... HARIBO do engagement rings...


 I love Haribo


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