Job Discussion Forums

[Persuasion]

Has anybody else heard about this? Apparently, if you are British and your spouse does not hold a UK passport, she will no longer be eligible for sponsorship.

I found the full details on the FCO / UK Embassy website (see link below), but a perusal of the relevant UAE government website unearthed no information at all (no surprise there, then!)

http://ukinuae.fco.gov.uk/en/help-for-british-nationals/living-in-uae/sponsorship

The relevant point appears to be this:

(*) We have been informed by the UAE authorities that a British man can only sponsor a wife who does not hold a British or EU passport if his wife has the right to live in the UK i.e. if the wife holds an indefinite leave to remain visa in her passport.

This could have catastrophic consequences for many British teachers in the UAE, as many of them have foreign wives, and some of those wives have never even been to the UK!