How To Cancel Family Visa In Dubai
Cancelling a family visa after it has been issued can be a confusing and frustrating process. This article focusses on the cancellation of family visa for family members that are not UAE citizens.
In case of cancellation of sponsorship, you have to return the family member’s entry and residence visa. The first step for cancelling the family visa is to apply for the cancellation of sponsorship. If you wish to continue in UAE on a visit visa, then you may do so, but will be liable for any overstay and deportation.
A Family Visa is a connecting visa authorized by the Ministry of interior for those wishing to family join an expatriate partner within the UAE. Also known as a dependent visa, this requirement is often best completed with assistance from the sponsor’s company. With a legal relationship in place, qualifying applicants apply for this type of visa at the nearest Dubai Immigration office.
How To Cancel Family Visa In Dubai
You have got an expulsion or stop and stay on your visa, or you have family visa (sponsorship) canceled. What does that mean for you? What are your options? How do you proceed?
All foreigners who live in the UAE on a Residence Visa must have it cancelled if they want to leave the country permanently. UAE visa cancellation has to be done by the sponsor on behalf of the expatriate, same as with a UAE Visa application.
How to cancel a UAE visa?
It is your sponsor who has to cancel your UAE Visa – you cannot apply for UAE visa cancellation on your own. The application process for cancelling a UAE Residence Visa is as follows:
- If you are employed in the UAE: Your employer first applies to have your work permit cancelled (see below).
- Your sponsor applies for your UAE visa cancellation at the offices of the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA). The GDRFA that cancels your visa must be the same one that stamped it on your passport on the first place.
You have 30 days to leave the country after your UAE visa is cancelled.
Cancelling a UAE work permit and work visa
If you are on the UAE on a Work Visa, your employer must also cancel your work permit (Labour Card) and work contract at the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation. The application process for cancelling a work permit is as follows:
- Your employer applies through the website of the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation
- Your employer attaches the documents electronically
- The Ministry processes the application temporarily and forwards the information to the GDRFA
- The GDRFA cancels your Residence Visa and informs the Ministry, who then permanently cancel your UAE work permit
Along with the application for UAE work permit cancellation, your employer also has to submit a letter, signed by you confirming that you have received all the wages, settlements, and benefits you are due. Do not sign the letter unless you really have received them.
Cancelling your UAE work permit if you are changing jobs
If you are just changing jobs in the UAE, but you will not leave the country, then your employer must cancel your work permit for you. It is easiest to change employers if you have already spent two years working for the original employer (ie. your work contract has ended). If you work contract has not ended, but you wish to change employment, then your current employer has to sign a No Objection Certificate (NOC) transferring sponsorship to your new employer.
If your current employer does not agree to the premature termination of your contract, then you may face getting an employment ban. The employment ban can be from six months to one year.
If your employer does sign the NOC and cancels your work permit, you must give your future employer the UAE visa cancellation paper so they can submit a new work permit application on your behalf.
Cancelling the UAE visa for dependent family members
If you have sponsored your family members to join you in the UAE through a Family Visa, you act as their sponsor. As such, it is up to you to cancel their UAE Residence Visas. You must cancel your dependents’ visas before your employer cancels yours.
Normally, if you are only changing jobs and will not permanently leave the UAE, you don’t have to cancel your dependents’ UAE family visas.