Dedicated visa centre opens for widows, divorced women
Dubai Festival City facility will have female officers who will meet women in private rooms
Widows and divorced women can renew their residency at a dedicated centre at Dubai Festival City, the General Directorate of Residency and Foreign Affair (GDRFA) in Dubai said yesterday.
The centre seeks to provide privacy to widows and divorced women and follows major visa changes that came into effect on October 21.
Major General Mohammad Al Merri, director of GDRFA-Dubai, launched the centre yesterday. “We want to provide these women the privacy they need in this centre. The new visa rules aim to give women the opportunity to adjust their social and economic status,” he said.
Lieutenant Colonel Ali Malallah, acting deputy assistant of the director-general for entry and residency permits, said the new centre will provide a private room for widows and divorced women to discuss their cases with female officials.
The new regulations allow widows and divorced women to extend their residency visas, ■ and those of their children, for one year without a sponsor.
Lieutenant Colonel Ali Malallah, acting deputy assistant of the director general for entry and residency permits, said: “We want our customers to be happy all the time. Women who go through tough times like divorce or husband’s death need to be treated with sensitivity.”
Lt Colonel Jasem Ahli, director of entry permits department in GDRFA, said that it will take a maximum of 48 hours to process a visa renewal request.
“Based on the UAE Cabinet’s order, we grant widows and divorced women the opportunity to sponsor themselves for one year if they do not have sponsors in the country. It is self-sponsorship — women can sponsor themselves and their children,” Lt Col Ahli said.
He said that an applicant will pay Dh100 for a one-year residency visa and Dh100 to cancel a previous visa.
Recently, a widow presented the death certificate of her husband who had died in a traffic accident and officials granted her a one year residency after her brother agreed to sponsor her. “We look into the circumstances of each case and make a decision. We want to ease the procedures for widows and divorced women,” Lt Col Ahli said.
The centre will be open from 7.30am to 2.30pm. People can call 04-7074255 for inquiries.