Emirates City Forum

Federal committees dealing with the property visa regulations have been urged not to use property values, fixed incomes and compulsory exit from the country as criteria for granting or renewing six-month residency visas.

The call came from Ajman Real Estate Regulatory Agency (Arra) in a five-point submission, Emirates Business can reveal.

The move follows an announcement in May of a resolution allowing owners of property in the UAE to stay in the country for up to six months at a time with a multi-visit entry visa.

The permit has to be renewed according to a set of specific requirements and conditions. It includes owners having to leave the country after six months before returning and renewing.

In addition, the value of the unit should not be less than Dh1 million, the unit should be fit to accommodate the owner and the family and the owner should have a fixed income of not less than Dh10,000 or its equivalent in foreign currency, whether inside or outside the country.

If these terms are not met the permit will be void, the notification added.

The Ajman agency is not calling for three-year visas, but says it should be possible to renew visas every six months for up to three years without the need to leave the country. The property owner would have to submit the documents required for renewal and pay the fees every six months.

The agency said in its submission: “Your department has the right to cancel the visa if the applicant has not got the right to renew it.”

On the property value issue, Arra said: “The value of property in the Northern Emirates does not exceed half of the value of property in other emirates, and this will lead to only serving some investors.

“You must be aware that the property price changes according to supply and demand, which is related to several factors. There are no clear criteria for this change. And this leads to the absence of a fixed mechanism to assess the real value of any property. Such a change can lead to other problems.”

In addition, the law has not clarified the rights of those owning more than one real estate unit, where the total value of the units exceeds the set minimum limit of Dh1m. And in cases where a property is owned jointly by more than one person, Arra suggests that the investor be allowed to apply for a visa if the other owners are first-degree relatives.

Rather than saying the property should be suitable for residence, the agency suggests the number of visas issued should be linked to the type of unit and the location. The owner of a studio should receive three visas (father, mother and one child), a one-bed unit four visas (father, mother and two children), a two-bed unit six visas (four children) and a three-bed unit eight visas (six children).

“We suggest the decision also covers maids sponsored by the owner. Infants should be exempted.”

Regarding the requirement for a fixed income of not less than Dh10,000, Arra said: “This might cause various problems and will open the door for companies operating outside the country to give salary certificates with no reliable references. From our experience in the real estate market, most investors are businessmen with no fixed income.”