My partner, our 8 month old baby and I want to come over and work in Dubai.  Please can you tell me what I need to do?  I want to come out and find work.  Should I do this before we all come over, how does the visa work and for how long?  Also, do we need to be married – how do we get round this etc?

Here is what our Move One Inc immigration specialist advised:  First of all, we have to advise you that you and your partner will have to be officially married if you intend to work and reside together in Dubai.  You will not be able to provide sponsorship for Residence Visa for your baby if you are not officially married.  A fully legalized marriage certificate is one of the main documents for Dependent’s Visa application.

There are a few options for your arrival, depending on your nationality:  If you and your family’s nationality falls under 32 countries whose citizens are eligible to obtain a Visit Visa on arrival to the UAE, you can freely enter the country and stay up to 30 days.  A Visit Visa on arrival will be stamped into your passport at the airport, free of charge.  This Visa can be extended once in the country for an additional 40 days.  Once you find a job (within validity of the Visit Visa), you will be able to transfer your Visit Visa status to an Employment Visa.

If your nationality is not on the list of 32 countries, you will need to obtain either a Tourist Visa (arranged by a Tourist agency or hotel in the UAE) or a Visit Visa sponsored by a UAE resident.

It is advisable that the main applicant (usually the husband) arrives first to Dubai, find a job, settle in completely and once he obtains his full employment permits, he will be able to arrange Dependent Entry permits for the family which will allow them to enter the country and complete the rest of the procedure.  Kindly note that the application for dependents can be started only once the main applicant’s permits are fully ready.  The process of obtaining employment permits in Dubai may last around one month and should be arranged by the employer.  Please also bear in mind that foreign documents needed for processing UAE permits (Educational certificates, Marriage and child’s Birth certificate) should be fully legalized for use in the UAE.

For more information, please visit our immigration country profile:  http://www.moveoneinc.com/country-profiles/uae/immigration-to-uae/