New Rules For Maid Visa In Dubai
Do you have a family in UAE and you want them to have a maid? You cannot have a maid on an employment visa. You need to get your maid an entry visa in order for her to work for you. Although there are many things the maid has to fulfill, it is still one of the most popular visas that people come by. Apart from having fulfilling requirements, there are some new rules for maid visa that you need to know if you want your Visa processing to go smoothly.
Dubai is one of the first countries in the Middle East to have a visa for domestic helpers. The purpose of Maid Visa for Dubai is to ensure that domestic employees travelling from India, Sri Lanka and Philippines to work in Dubai are safe. The visa gives protection and rights that are not given to home helps in other Arabian countries. Maid Visa is tied to a contract and workers have limited work hours, good health benefits and job assistance services.
In May 2017 the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Labour launched a new system for maid recruitment, forcing residents of the country to obtain sponsorship for their maids in advance. The new rules have caused frustration among UAE residents, who are having more difficulty obtaining visas and bringing in their domestic staff.
New Rules For Maid Visa In Dubai
UAE is a dream for many when it comes to receiving maid visa. The attraction is not just about being able to live with better standards. Be it other social amenities or administrative administration which will be providing the best of services, UAE is endowed with amazing provisions that every individual expects. There are also other benefits an individual gets when he or she opts for a country based on certain set of regulations. These are the reasons why this country continues to get a large number of migrants seeking employment, residence visa and approvals.
Finding the right kind of help is an important decision for many families in the UAE. Hiring a maid or nanny in Dubai can be a difficult and lengthy process if you don’t have the right kind of resources. Here is a helpful guide on how to sponsor a nanny/maid in Dubai that can straighten out some of the details of the process. This article will outline the different methods of sponsoring a maid in Dubai, the documents required and the criteria the sponsor needs to fulfil to get a maid visa in the UAE.
STEPS TO SPONSORING A MAID IN DUBAI
Sponsoring a housemaid or a nanny in Dubai follow the same procedures. If you’re looking at sponsoring a maid in Dubai, here is a simple guide to help you easily navigate through the process.
STEP 1: KNOW THE RULES TO SPONSOR A MAID IN DUBAI
The first step to figuring out how to sponsor a maid in Dubai is, of course, familiarising yourself with all the rules and regulations involved in the process. It is a big responsibility and the process will require a decent investment of funds. As the person hiring aka the sponsor, you will also be responsible for his/her remuneration and other benefits. This is why it is important to be aware of the laws to bring a maid to Dubai and the contract terms you need to fulfil. Here’s are the rules that dictate how to bring a nanny to Dubai.
Rules for housemaid visa in UAE
Whether you are looking for a full-time nanny to look after the kids or just a housemaid to help around the house, these jobs are categorised as domestic help and are governed by the UAE Domestic Labour Law, set by the UAE Government.
In order to sponsor a maid in Dubai, the sponsor must have a salary not less than AED 6,000 per month or a monthly salary of AED 5,000 with accommodation. A Dubai housemaid visa can be only be issued by the head of the family, usually the male. Bachelors are not eligible to sponsor a maid in Dubai.
Other rules for issuing housemaid visa in Dubai state that maids hired must be over the age of 18 and can only be sponsored from India, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Bangladesh and Indonesia. However, it’s important to note that each of these countries has its own regulations regarding minimum salary and age. Here is a breakdown of the country-specific minimum wages for maids in Dubai. Sponsors can pay more than the minimum wage if they desire to do so.
- India – AED 1,100
- Sri Lanka – AED 825
- The Philippines – AED 1,400 (and must be older than 30, but not over 60)
- Bangladesh – AED 750
- Indonesia – AED 800
Other entitlements for maids in Dubai
Along with the minimum wage, when hiring a maid in Dubai, the sponsor will be responsible for providing other stipulated benefits such as:
- Payment of wages, as set out in the standard contract, within 10 days from the day they are due
- One day of paid rest per week
- 12 hours of rest per day, including 8 hours consecutive rest
- 30 days paid vacation per year
- Medical insurance
- 30 days of medical leave per year
- A round trip ticket home every 2 years
- Accommodation
- Decent meals at the employer’s expense
- Attire suitable for the job to be carried out, at the employer’s expense
- Possession of their personal identification papers such as passports, IDs, etc.
STEP 2: DECIDE BETWEEN HIRING A HOUSEMAID VIA AN AGENCY OR HIRING ONE ON YOUR OWN
Another important step to bring you closer to answering the question of how to bring a maid/nanny to Dubai is making a decision on whether you want to complete the process on your own or hire an external agency to help. Both ways are fairly straightforward, however, each method has its own set of costs and duration, which must be taken into consideration.
One of the easiest ways to hire a nanny in Dubai is to use Tadbeer centres, which are government-approved service centres that help to hire domestic and household workers in Dubai and the rest of the UAE. They offer different packages that are specific to your needs. Here is a quick look at everything Tadbeer has to offer. https://www.youtube.com/embed/NCRt_Wg9ag8?enablejsapi=1&autoplay=0&cc_load_policy=0&iv_load_policy=1&loop=0&modestbranding=0&fs=1&playsinline=0&controls=1&color=red&rel=1&autohide=2&theme=dark&
Tadbeer and other maid recruiting agencies offer a quick solution for hiring maids in Dubai. From issuing the visa to booking flight tickets, these maid recruitment agencies can facilitate the entire process. The cost of hiring a maid in Dubai through an agency can range from AED 3,000 to AED 6,000 depending on the services you need. It is important to note that some of the agencies only apply for a tourist visa for the maid and as a sponsor, you would then need to re-apply for the maids’ residency visa yourself at an additional cost. To avoid this extra cost, you can opt to apply for a maids UAE residence visa yourself while the agency handles the other procedures like booking flight tickets and drafting contracts.
If you have already identified a candidate you want to hire, the entire process can be done without an agency, but you will need to do most of the legwork yourself. This includes issuing the visa, booking the tickets and facilitating any other formalities.
STEP 3: GET YOUR DOCUMENTS IN ORDER
Whether you are going forward with the hiring process via an agency or yourself, you will need to submit certain documents to fulfil the requirements for sponsoring a maid in Dubai. Here is a list of required documents to sponsor a nanny/housemaid in Dubai
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Documents required for sponsoring a housemaid in Dubai
When applying for a residency permit for the maid, the sponsor will need to submit the following documents to the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs – Dubai (GDRFA).
- The visa application form typed through an authorised typing office
- An affidavit from the embassy or consulate of non-relationship, if the maid is from the same country
- Passport and visa copies of the sponsor and the maid
- Passport photos of the sponsor and the maid
- Three months bank statement of the sponsor
- Copy of the sponsor’s labour contract
- Copy of the sponsor’s health insurance card
- Copy of the sponsor’s tenancy contract of a minimum two-bedroom unit
- Salary Certificate of the sponsor
- Maid’s Medical Fitness Certificate from their country
Note: The above requirements can vary for sponsors who are UAE citizens or working in the government and private sector in the UAE. Make sure to refer to the GDRFA website for the latest information.
STEP 4: BEGIN THE PROCESS OF BRINGING THE MAID TO DUBAI
Once you’ve finalised your candidate and you have all the documents sorted out, you can initiate the process to get them to Dubai. It can be completed by visiting any of the Tasheel Centres in the UAE or the GDRFA website.
Here are the steps to issue a maid visa in Dubai. The sponsor will need to complete this process for sponsoring a maid in Dubai in the order given below.
Steps to issue a UAE housemaid visa by the sponsor
- Apply for the maid’s employment permit to enter the country
- After the maid enters the UAE, the sponsor will need to obtain a Medical Fitness Report and register for the Emirates ID
- Apply for the residence stamp on maid’s passport
- Issue the Domestic Worker Card for the sponsor and Emirates ID for the maid.
In order to apply for an employment permit, the sponsor will need to get an authorised typist to fill up the employment entry permit form. This form along with all the aforementioned documents must be submitted to the GDRFA. In this step, you will need to pay the non-refundable cost of maid visa in Dubai or stamping fee of AED 5,200 and a refundable deposit of AED 2,000 which will be returned once the maid leaves the UAE. Other charges payable here include the typing fee. An additional charge of AED 100 is also applicable if you request for urgent services.
Once you receive the approved permit, you can either send the original or copy of that to your maid. If you have only sent the copy, you will need deposit the original at DNATA Visa Desk at Dubai airport or at DNRD counter. Following this, you can book tickets for the maid to enter the UAE.
Within 30 days of the maid entering the UAE, the sponsor will need to obtain a Medical Fitness Report for the maid from any other the medical fitness centres as well as register them for an Emirates ID. This cost for medical tests in Dubai is AED 325 going up to AED 420 for delivery within 48 hours services and AED 520 for urgent services. Registration for the Emirates ID can be done at the medical fitness centres itself.
After receiving the medical fitness report and the stamped Emirates ID application, you can take these documents along with the residence visa application filled by any authorised typist and head to any GDRFA branch. Make sure to carry all the other documents such as the stamped employment entry permit, maid’s original passport and photo, sponsor’s passport copy, deposit sticker and a salary certificate/labour contract.
Over here, a contract will be drafted which has to be signed by both sponsor and maid. After signing, a residence stamp valid for one year will then be placed in the maid’s passport. Then the officer will issue the ‘Domestic Worker Identity Card’ for the sponsor.
The final step to sponsoring a maid in Dubai will be to get the Emirates ID card which can be done through any authorised typist or any of the official government portals.
Once everything is complete, for the maid visa renewal you will need to submit an application for renewal along with the online medical request form, which can be issued using an authorised typist. As for the cancellation of a UAE maids visa, it can either be done at the airport or in advance through GDRFA.
The process and cost of sponsoring a maid in Dubai can seem a bit daunting in the beginning but considering the busy life we lead here, having the extra help around the house is worth it. If you need any further clarifications regarding the steps to sponsoring a maid in Dubai, you can contact the GDRFA on 800-5111 or email amer@dnrd.ae.