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Residents must have house rental papers in their name to apply for relatives’ visas

Dubai: A top official at the Ministry of Interior has warned that no leniency will be given to those who don’t produce a tenancy contract under their own name when seeking to sponsor family members on their own residency visas.

Major General Nasser Al Awadi Al Menhali, acting Assistant Undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior for Naturalisation and Residency, told Gulf News yesterday expatriates need to have a proper accommodation with a valid tenancy contract under their own name to be able to sponsor their family members.

The clarification by Maj Gen Al Menhali comes after some expatriates said they were not aware of the rules.

One Dubai resident said he wanted to sponsor his family but that his application was rejected because he used to live in shared accommodation with his brother.

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The Indian man said the residency department in Dubai had asked him to submit a tenancy contract under his own name and that he would not be able to sponsor his wife and children without one.

"This is not a new rule as it was implemented a few years ago, but people are still ignorant to such rules and are surprised when they are asked to submit tenancy contracts under their name to sponsor their families," said Maj Gen Al Menhali.

"Applicants across the country must produce a copy of their tenancy contract to prove their eligibility to sponsor a family so as to ensure they can actually afford to give their families a decent living space," he added.

‘Rejected’

Maj Gen Al Menhali said those who live in shared accommodation and have a tenancy contract which is not under their own name will not have applications to sponsor their families accepted.

"We have to ensure that whoever applies for a residence visa for his or her family must have suitable and proper accommodation available for them and their families," he said.

Maj Gen Al Menhali said it was not necessary for applicants seeking to sponsor families to produce tenancy contracts from the same emirate. The tenancy contract can be from any other emirate, but should be under the sponsor’s name only.

He said in 2008 the Ministry of Interior announced the rule. It was introduced to ensure that applicants who wished to sponsor their families had proper accommodation and that the sponsor could really support his or her family. "The contract should either be in the name of the sponsor or in the name of the company where he or she works," he said.

"The application will be rejected if a big family lives in a studio apartment," he said.

He added that those who wanted to bring their families on a visit visa were not required to present a tenancy contract with the application.