In the UAE, separation not only poses emotional and legal hurdles, but also raises critical issues concerning residency rights, especially for homemaker spouses and children of the broken family who are dependents on the husband’s visa.
Recently, a Khaleej Times reader posed the question: “After divorce, is my husband still required to sponsor me and our children’s residency?”
Here’s what you need to know:
▶️ Children’s Sponsorship:
Yes, in most cases fathers are still responsible for actively sponsoring their children’s visa post-divorce. So long as they meet custody and other legal sponsorship requirements such as income and housing, the children’s visa is likely to remain under the father’s sponsorship. This is particularly true if the mother gets custody and the father is bound to financially support them, renting a house per the legal requirements.
▶️ Ex-Wife’s Sponsorship:
In the UAE, a legally divorced woman is no longer within the bounds of the UAE visa sponsorship system. Therefore, in practical terms, an ex-husband has no obligation to maintain her residency visa. She is free to substitute her old sponsored residency for a job or change sponsor or, less frequently, acquire a dependent child visa if the child meets the age criterion, which grant some limited self-sponsorship.Explore Grace Periods & Options:
Generally ex-wives are entitled to a grace period (approximately 30 days which varies based on visa type) after a divorce to adjust their residency status. Within this timeframe, she has the possibility of switching to another visa, departing the country, and re-entering on a new visa, or she may choose to leave.
Seek local UAE laws and legal and immigration consultants to confirm there are no bumps during the period of interest.
