# Husband and wife ... sponsored separately ?



## Thinker (Apr 30, 2008)

Hello,

My wife and I are considering moving to Dubai. We are "DINK's" at this stage, (Double Income No Kids).

Would it be possible for us to apply for jobs independently, and be sponsored by our prospective employers ? ie. If possible, neither of us would be obtaining residence through our spouse, but in our own right, through an employer.

Or, must my wife obtain residence through me ? (I understand from reading this forum and general knowledge etc. that it is quite unusual for a husband to obtain residence through his wife).

Is it true that a wife is limited in what work she can obtain if she obtains work through her husband ?

If we are able to do that - obtain residence and work authorisation separately, would we still need to provide a copy of our marriage certificate, certified etc. etc. ?

Would we still be able to live under the same roof without our certified marriage certificate to prove it ? I'm guessing we would be safe to get our marriage certificate etc. certified.

If anyone is able to provide some useful insights or facts, I would very much appreciate it.


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## alli (Mar 6, 2008)

Hey there,
I am in the exact same situation as you. I am going through all this right now.
We're going over there for my husband's work - he got a job over there and has been sponsored by his employer.

As for me, however, I am looking for work at the moment.

To answer your question, the best option is for you to be sponsored, and for you to then sponsor your wife - NOT for her to get her own sponsorship, for the reason that if she leaves her job, she loses her sponsorship and will have to leave the country, UNLESS she finds another company to sponsor her, which is not guaranteed. If she's on your visa, then as long as you are there, she is there.


You will have to work hard for a sponsorship. They don't come knocking on your door. Before you make any decision, you need to ensure that you will be able to get a sponsorship for yourself.

Once you get sponsorship from your employer for work, you will then be allowed to sponsor your wife for residency. Note that these are two different visas.
When you have sponsored your wife for residency, she can look for employment. *She cannot work on the residency visa that you give her*. 
Once she finds work however, her employer will give her all the appropriate permissions.


You also need SO MUCH PAPERWORK.

My husband is fine, his company is sorting him out.
But as for me.

I have to have my marriage certificate verified by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs.
Once that's verified, I then have to have it attested by the UAE Consulate.
Basically I have to prove that I'm his wife.

Documentation you will need;

- Lots of copies of your passports
- Lots of passport photos
- Your original marriage certificate, attested by Foreign Affairs and the UAE Consulate, and lots of copies
- Your letter of employment also stating how much you will be earning
- She will need a MEDICAL CERTIFICATE from the appropriate clinic

As well as lots of other tidbits. 

it's all very confusing and will take a while to understand.
Have a look at this website, they also have good info.
Gulfnews: Residency visa for your wife


If you have a specific question, just ask


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## Thinker (Apr 30, 2008)

*Thanks ... more clarification ?*

Hi Alli. Thank you for your reply. Wow, very comprehensive, I appreciate it.

I still have two questions on my mind.

What if we do try and apply separately ? Is it possible/allowed, if we do both manage to get sponsorship from separate employers ? (bearing in mind that risk of losing the right to stay there as individuals)

And if we did go the route of me finding sponsorship and my wife obtaining residency through me - if I get the correct paperwork, how long would it take for her to get that residency through me, and also, would she be limited in what type of job or salary she was allowed in that status ?

Thanks.


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## alli (Mar 6, 2008)

Hey again. No probs, I read this forum alot and this is probably the first time i've been able to contribute in a meaningful way haha.

OK
*Applying for Sponsorship Seperately.*
Yes, it's allowed. It is just hard to come by. I wish you luck, cos I tried initially to get my own sponsorship, but companies won't sponsor someone, when in reality they could hire a filipino or indian to do the same work for half the price.

*If you both manage to get sponsorship from separate employers* 
No dramas at all. As you willl be on seperate visas, you'll lead seperate processes. No issues that I can see.

*if we did go the route of me finding sponsorship and my wife obtaining residency through me - if I get the correct paperwork;*
*how long would it take for her to get that residency through me*

I think residency takes approx 2 weeks, depending on the processing time of the day.
However, she can still enter the country on a visit visa, which is issued to most westerners automatically on arrival, and they last for 60 days. If by some crazy reason she hasn't been granted residency by then, she can simply hop the border and come back in, and get another 60 days.
This website has information on it;
UAE Visit/Tourist Visa Requirements [United Arab Emirates] - TEN Guide

*Would she be limited in what type of job or salary she was allowed in that status ?*
No is the short answer. What does she do for work? I'm in Admin / Secretarial / PA and i have actually been advised by a recruitment agency that is interviewing me, that it's better to be on my husband's visa than a company's, for the reasons I gave before.

Also, I would strongly recommend getting your marriage certificate attested by your Foreign Affairs and also by the UAE consulate before even coming over. It's better to be safe than sorry, and all it takes is one a pissed off neighbour to report you to the police and when you can't produce your attested marriage certificate, it's deportation for you. 


Mind you I haven't even left Australia yet, this is all info I have found out by ringing consulates / reading forums / recruitment agencies etc.


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## alli (Mar 6, 2008)

This website is gospel

http://www.dnrd.gov.ae/Dnrd/Transactions/Residents/Residents Services#C81

it's the UAE official gov't website and has the most recent and up to date info, so check it out


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## Thinker (Apr 30, 2008)

Thank you alli. You are very helpful. I'm glad that I asked the right question for you to be able to write so much. I can see that you have done a lot of homework.

I could not get that web-site link to work .... when I clicked on English, it had a message saying "Error on page". And when I went to the home page, I could not find out how to get to the same form / information.

Also, any idea on the marriage certificate registration process ? We are from different countries, and got married in a different country from where we are from. Does it matter where we get it attested by Foreign Affairs ? I'm guessing the country that we got married in. Is that the same as an apostile ??


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## alli (Mar 6, 2008)

Try this;
DNRD

It doesn't matter what nationality either of you are. Whatever country you got married in, and produced your marriage certificate, is who you need to sign it.

Not sure what an apostile is though, sorry


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## alli (Mar 6, 2008)

Required Documents: 
Prepaid e-form application 
Copy of the sponsor's passport 
Copy of the sponsored person's passport 
Marriage solemnization contract attested by UAE embassy in the country where the marriage took place, and by UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 
Salary certificate or employment contract in which the salary shall not be less than AED. 4,000 or AED. 3000 + accommodation


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## TheFiveJs (Mar 26, 2008)

What is an e-gate card?


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## cairogal (Aug 11, 2007)

You'll be fine getting separate sponsorship, but you might want to work out whose got the higher earning power now. The laws prohibit you from receiving 2 accommodation allowances. In our case, my husband will bring in less while my job opps provide better family benefts. Therefore, I make sure my potential employers know that I'm the one carrying the family, so to speak.


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## cairogal (Aug 11, 2007)

> if we did go the route of me finding sponsorship and my wife obtaining residency through me - if I get the correct paperwork;
> how long would it take for her to get that residency through me


I think this really depends on the employer and how much of a priority it is to them to get her paperwork done. Could be 6 weeks, could be 6 months. That means she'd in the country as a tourist;leaving every so many days to renew the visa (done easily enough, BTW).


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## Thinker (Apr 30, 2008)

Thank you alli and cairogal for your responses.

I still can't get that web-site DNRD to work properly. I am going to ring the UAE embassy and local foreign affairs offices to ask about the marriage certificate process.

How many copies of our marriage certificate will we likely need ?

How many copies of our passports will we likely need ?

Do we have to get our passport copies certified ? If so, by who ?

Also, I've read that the driver's licence process is difficult. I do not have an up to date driver's licence from my home country, but I do have one from the country I've been living in. Will that matter ? Can I bring the licence from the country I've been living in, and obtain a UAE licence with that ?


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