Can I put my family visa on hold?

If an individual is in the process of transferring visas or obtaining a new residence visa, he/she can avoid cancelling their dependent visas by putting them on hold with the General Directorate of Residency of Foreign Affairs. The on hold process is only applicable if the sponsor’s new and old visa are in the Emirate of Dubai.

It is mandatory for dependents to be in the country for the process, they are not able to travel once the visas have been put on hold. The dependent visas must be valid for at least 6 months to have them put on hold.

The sponsor will have to visit the Immigration with his previous labour card cancellation, new job offer letter, an undertaking letter stating the visas will be taken off of hold once the sponsor’s new residence visa has been issued, and the original passports and EIDs of the dependents to be placed on hold. A deposit is put in place with the Immigration. Once the sponsor’s new residence visa has been issued, the new residence visa can be submitted to the Immigration and the dependent’s visas are taken off hold, the deposit is refunded