The General Directorate of Identity and Foreigners Affairs (GDIFA) (previously known as the General Directorate of Residency and Foreign Affairs (GDRFA)), has introduced new requirements affecting Employment Residence Permit and Executive Golden Visa applications, effective immediately. These updates relate to the attestation of educational certificates and an introduction of additional eligibility conditions for Golden Visa applicants. Employers and employees should take note of these changes, as failure to comply may result in delays or rejection of Immigration applications.
The GDIFA continues to enforce its requirement that all educational certificates submitted in support of Employment Residence Permit applications must be attested by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). This requirement applies uniformly, regardless of whether the applicant is applying from within the UAE or from overseas. However, where the certificate is not a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree from a recognised university, applicants will also be required to obtain their degree verification from DataFlow (the authorised partner of the Ministry of Education (MOE), for verification of educational certificates), followed by an equivalency/recognition certificate from UAE’s Ministry of Higher Education. This report must provide details of the course undertaken as well as the duration of study, and provided as part of an application under Free Zone jurisdictions.
For applications processed under the UAE Mainland (i.e., through the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE)), additional requirements apply in relation to job title classification. Where applicants seek a Managerial job title, the legalised educational certificate must clearly indicate a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree, and explicitly reference the awarding institution as a University.
If the certificate identifies the institution as a “diploma-issuing” institution, an applicant will not qualify for a Managerial job title. Please note that it is not currently an MOHRE requirement for applicants to provide an MOE certificate (MOHRE is currently verifying educational certificates internally).
In addition to the above the eligibility criteria for a Golden Visa application under the Executive category has been updated. Applicants should complete at least two years’ continuous employment with their current UAE employer prior to the submission of their application (this requirement has already been in place under the Skilled Professional route), and their sponsoring employer must have a workforce of over 10 sponsored employees if based in a Free Zone. This is in addition to evidencing earnings of at least AED per month and meeting other prevailing criteria.
Employers and employees should take proactive measures to ensure compliance with these updated requirements.
Employers in Free Zone jurisdictions should also factor in potential additional processing times to complete the equivalency process, where equivalency/recognition certificates from the Ministry of Higher Education are required to verify an applicant’s educational certificate as part of the Employment Residence Permit process. Applicants should also be made aware of the education certificate requirements as part of the hiring process, in order to avoid hurdles in their application.
Applicants for Golden Visas under the Executive category should carefully review their eligibility in light of the new conditions. Failure to comply with these updated requirements may result in application delays or rejections.
At Vialto Partners, we provide expert guidance on navigating the evolving UAE Immigration landscape. Our team can:
For a deeper discussion on the above, please reach out to your Vialto Partners point of contact, or alternatively:
Anir Chatterji
EMEA Immigration Partner
Rekha Simpson
Director
Umme Salma
Senior Manager
Ananth Prasad
Senior Manager
Nasrine Abdi
Manager
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