UAE | Government

FNC calls for tightening of sponsorship rules

The Federal National Council (FNC) on Tuesday proposed increasing the minimum salary requirement to sponsor families of expatriates in the UAE.

  • By Samir Salama, Associate Editor
  • Published: 13:56 December 16, 2008
  • Gulf News

  • Federal National Council which met on Tuesday in Abu Dhabi, proposed hiking the minimum salary requirement to sponsor families of expatriates in the UAE.
  • Image Credit: Abdul Rahman/Gulf News

Abu Dhabi: The Federal National Council (FNC) on Tuesday proposed increasing the minimum salary requirement to sponsor families of expatriates in the UAE.

According to the proposal, the minimum salary required for an expatriate - without company accommodation - to sponsor a family should be Dh10,000 and an expatriate with company accommodation, Dh8,000. The FNC resumed its session yesterday after National Day and Eid holidays.

An ad-hoc committee of the House also suggested that family-visa applicants should be asked to submit bank statements of six months, detailing salary transfer.

In its first ever open session to discuss the demographic structure of the UAE since its establishment in 1972, the House also suggested that an only an expatriate with a minimum salary of Dh15,000 should be allowed to sponsor housemaids.

It also recommended increasing the annual fee for sponsoring a housemaid to Dh7,000.

According to a report worked out by the committee, there are 5.5 million foreign workers, including 3.1 million workers registered with the Ministry of Labour and 2.4 million registered with the Ministry of the Interior, while the total population was 6.3 million by the end of last year.

The legislature said the Labour Ministry issued 640,000 work permits over the first four months of this year, an increase of 100 per cent compared with the same period last year.

These include 525,000 work permits for individual workers and 115 group permits.

The House expected that 1.920 million permits would be issued by the end of this year, taking into account the visas issued by the Ministry of Interior.

The House was told that foreign workers account for 90 per cent of the total workforce in the UAE at the end of 2006.

Asian workers represented 87.1 of the labour force, while workers of other nationalities including Arabs account for 12.9 per cent.

An estimated 98.7 per cent are concentrated in the private sector, namely in the construction, agriculture, retail business, and also restaurants, hotels, fisheries, security and guarding and cleaning companies.

Do you sponsor your family? How would this decision impact you and your family if turned into a law? How do you see this changing the country's demography? What basic ammenity do you spend most of your salary on?


Your comments


I will be heartbroken if the maid salaries increase any further. It is an ever increasing burden in an atmosphere where jobs are insecure and neither parent can afford to lose their job.
Sachin
Dubai,UAE
Posted: December 17, 2008, 10:16

The authorities should divide this into categories according to experience and qualification of the indusial person. Based on these categories, the company would pay the employee the right amount to be able to live properly. This should be compulsory to organisations and not families.
Pradeep Jadhav
Dubai,UAE
Posted: December 17, 2008, 10:13

I did not sponsor my family yet. I was planning to do so during the next couple of months. It is difficult to stay without your family and from my point of view this decision of the ministry, if turned into a law, will have a worse impact on the expatriates who already sponsor their families in the UAE, as it shall prove to be a heavy kick on their backs. For people like me, this proposal has created a tensed atmosphere and is forcing me to think of going back to my home country if the above stated is turned into a law. Finally, as a good person I would request the authorities to keep this part of the law a bit flexible. On behalf of all the expatriates I would urge the authorities to be a bit lenient if this is turned into a law.
Shaikh Ishrat
Dubai,UAE
Posted: December 17, 2008, 10:10

This will seriously affect the income of the country. A large number of expatriates will go back to their country, which would seriously affect the UAE economy. It is better to sustain the current limits as this new law will seriously affect the middle-class people.
Saji
Sharjah,UAE
Posted: December 17, 2008, 10:07

Sponsoring a family has definitely become more expensive over the last couple of years, especially with the inflated rents, price of commodities, etc. However, with the global crisis, where rents and commodities in UAE have already started showing signs of decline, this new minimum salary cap would be too high.
Mohammad Ali
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: December 17, 2008, 10:01

Definately, it will help employees get the right value for their work but at the same time, who are living here for the past four years and still not been able to get a salary of Dh10,000. A big problem will occur.
Anand
Dubai,UAE
Posted: December 17, 2008, 09:57

This is like adding fuel to the fire. In the middle of the financial crisis this is the best thing they can do. Many families might be forced to go home if this law is implemented.
Vikas
Dubai,UAE
Posted: December 17, 2008, 09:53

I resigned from the company I worked with due to the insufficient salary to sponsor my wife. Last month, the same company offered me a better salary to be able to sponsor my wife in Sharjah. Now, when I have everything ready in my hand to apply for my wife's visa, this proposal comes up out of no where.
Mohammad Asif
Sharjah,UAE
Posted: December 17, 2008, 09:52

If they increase the salary requirements for sponsoring a family, it will negatively affect families who are staying in the UAE. They might have to send their families back to their home countries, which will reduce the country's foreign exchange.
Zeeshan
Dubai,UAE
Posted: December 17, 2008, 09:52

This rule seems to be very unfair towards expatriates. If this law is implemented, then not many will be able to lve here. How can we sponsor our families with this?
Kashif Jamil
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: December 17, 2008, 09:50

Increasing the minimum salary cap to Dh10,000 to sponsor a family is correct if we look at the rising costs. However, will this not increase the number of single people in the UAE, which would alter the demography in the sense that there would be lesser family crowds around? Also, chances are that the single crowd could be dissatisfied, unhappy and thus mar the otherwise cheerful family-oriented crowd existing here. As the number of families decrease, the income spent here would also decrease as most of the salary would be sent back to their families in home countries. However, if a person is staying with a family then very little money is saved and most of the money is spent on basic needs and thus is returned to the economy here. The basic ammenity where most of the salary is spent is on house rent.
Naina Nair
Sharjah,UAE
Posted: December 17, 2008, 09:49

I think it is a good idea to keep the limit. However, the authorities should also think about giving facilities and encouraging expatriates to come and stay here. Things like housing opportunities, controlling the inflation and many more would help.
Ahmad
Karachi,Pakistan
Posted: December 17, 2008, 09:01

The middle-class is the class that is working in offices and factories day and night. I think they are running Dubai just as much as the rich people. Such restrictions will not be an encouraging factor. Half of our income is spent on housing. Now, survival of the comman man is becoming more and more difficult. I would oppose the new proposal.
Hassan
Dubai,UAE
Posted: December 17, 2008, 08:50

My husband sponsors me. If this decision is turned into a law n then I have no other option but to return to my home country. A major share of our salary goes for rent.
Jefna
Sharjah,UAE
Posted: December 17, 2008, 08:49

If the minimum salary cap is increased then it will be a big problem to those who wished to sponsor their families. In my opinion, there should be no minimum salary cap. This should not come into law. I am on visit visa and my husband is trying to sponsor me. If this proposal is implemented then our family would have to live apart from their husbands. This law would make most of the the UAE residents disappointed.
From A Reader
Sharjah,UAE
Posted: December 17, 2008, 08:42

I would not want to live there if such a law is implemented.
Ali
Melbourne,Australia
Posted: December 17, 2008, 08:41

Please do not do this. My salary is low and I am planning to get married in 2009. So it is my request that after 2009 you should implement this plan. Thank you very much from the bottom of my heart.
Asif
Dubai,UAE
Posted: December 17, 2008, 08:41

Yes,I do sponsor my family.This decision will adversly affect our family. life.I have lived with them for years and I cant imagine living alone.
Raj
Fujairah,UAE
Posted: December 17, 2008, 08:06

Living with our families is important in our lives. With this law, we will not have that option anymore.
Mohammad
Dubai,UAE
Posted: December 17, 2008, 08:03

It's an unfavourable decision. Let's hope It won't be implemented.
Ssac
Sharjah,UAE
Posted: December 17, 2008, 07:57

I think that if this decision is implemented, nobody will be able to sponsor and bring a family. It is a very sad thing.
Jose Edwin Brill
Calamba City,Philippines
Posted: December 17, 2008, 07:55

I fully support this decision.
Mohammad
Dubai,UAE
Posted: December 17, 2008, 07:43

If this is implemented, lots of expatriates will leave the country or they will look for other countries where they could work and live with their families.
Fahad
Dubai,UAE
Posted: December 17, 2008, 07:35

it is a really a good proposal but as far as we are concerned, there is no other chioce but to go back to India with our families if this rule is implemented.
Shiju Talikulam
Abu Dhabi,India
Posted: December 17, 2008, 07:29

I have my wife and child with me. If this decision comes as a law, I will certainly have to leave my job and take my family home.
Jyothish
Dubai,UAE
Posted: December 17, 2008, 07:20

Such a decision will force the middle and lower income people to send their familes back home.
Rehan
Riyadh,Saudi Arabia
Posted: December 17, 2008, 07:14

it is a good step for all employees.A great effort.
Syed Murtuza Qadri
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: December 17, 2008, 07:13

it really frightens me to hear about such rules.
Dindi
Dubai,UAE
Posted: December 17, 2008, 06:57

Great!This is a really good idea. I would like to say, as it will help all the expatriates to decide whether they can or cannot sponsor their families in UAE.
Tawhid
Melbourne,Australia
Posted: December 17, 2008, 04:35

Authorities should make it easier for expatriates, not harder.
Tarek El Raey
Dubai,UAE
Posted: December 17, 2008, 03:16

This is very unfair to the families who have spent thier lives in the UAE.
Yasir
yorkshire,UK
Posted: December 17, 2008, 02:56

This new rule will reduce the number of expatriate families in UAE but considering the recent economic crunch this decision will adversely affect the market.
Chinthu
Dubai,UAE
Posted: December 17, 2008, 01:09

What will happen to existing expatriate families? Most of them would have to return back home.
Zeeshan Ali
Safat,Kuwait
Posted: December 17, 2008, 00:59

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