Everything you need to know about securing a job-seeker visa in the UAE
The job-seeker visa is designed for the hopefuls…
It has become common knowledge that visitors and tourists on a visit/tourist visa can’t search for jobs on their existing visa status. But the good news is that there is a special category for those who are looking to stay and search for jobs in the UAE.
Foreigners are granted a visit visa to search for a job without requiring a host/sponsor in the country, for one trip. You can apply for a job-seeker visa with a validity of either 60, 90 or 120 days, and use this time to search for employment. It’s a fairly easy process to apply for the visa, but there are certain documents required and eligibility criteria to meet.
Documents required
- A coloured photo
- A copy of the applicant’s passport
- Qualification certificate (attested)
- Original copy of your passport
- Proof of stay such as a rental contract or hotel booking
- Health insurance to cover your entire stay
- Copy of your flight tickets
Eligibility criteria
To get a visit visa for the purpose of exploring job opportunities, the applicant must fulfil the following conditions:
- He/she must be either in the first, second or third skill level as per the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) professional levels of jobs, or graduate from the best 500 universities in the world according to the classification approved by the Ministry of Education and must have graduated within the last 2 years.
- He/she must hold a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent
- He/she must fulfil the prescribed financial guarantee.
Where to apply
Basically, you can fill out a form on the government-provided website which is available 24/7 at your disposal, or through an authorised centre in the UAE, which would one of the public services Amer centres. The expected completion time of one request is 48 hours from application.
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The fees structure
The 60-day visit visa fee is at Dhs200, the 90-day visit visa fee is at Dhs300, and the fee for a 120-day visit visa is Dhs400, in addition to the value added tax at 5 per cent.
You also have to provide a certain amount of financial guarantee to procure the visa – the security amount is at Dhs10,000, with an additional warranty service fee for Dhs20 and fee for collection and return of guarantee at Dhs40.
If the sponsored person is inside the country, they’ll pay a knowledge fee of Dhs10, an innovation fee of Dhs10 and an extra Dhs500 for being in the country.
Note: The total amount of the visa may vary depending on the circumstances surrounding the sponsored person or for any other reasons that may necessitate it
Images: Getty
