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First of all, congratulations on moving out of KSA and into Dubai.  What a relief!!

1. Your prospective Employer will arrange your visa.  Normally family visas are sponsored by you, but in many cases Employers are considerate and would arrange visit visa for your family along with the Employment (visit) Visa for you.  Work it out with them.  Per new regulations you have to open Bank Account immediately (after your residence visa is stamped), 3 months of this account will be needed for applying for your family residence visa.

2. Employment Visa is the Completion of Labour Contract, issuance of a Labour Card.  Residence Visa is stamped after you pass medical fitness, obtain Emirates ID.  In addition to your own Residence Visa & Bank Account (3 months Statement), you will need to have a Tenancy Contract for residence, for obtaining Family residence visa.

3. No offence intended for you or anybody else; the fact is many company brings in monkeys and calls them lions. And vice versa.  In other words, the visa stamped on your passport may not always reflect the job you do or your position in your company.  This is something you need to watch and make sure it happens in the right way, by working closely with the PRO.  Must be checked before they apply for your Labour (Employment) Card.  A PRO can screw it up, so he is an important cog in the scheme of wheels.  Be on his right side.

4. You must have already done the India attestations?  If so it is easy.  Your PRO again should be able to help you, or any Typing Centre can do too. 

5. Rent and school fees are bigger compared to KSA.  So is cost of fuel, and various other items.  So cover the rent and school fees, medical insurance; after taking out these factors, about 10-20% up on present salary should be ok.  There will be tolls if you drive, but these are a small price to pay to move to Dubai.

7. In most private sector companies, for Asians the fee is Basic + Allowances that are said to cover housing and transportation.  Some international firms cover school fees also.  Again, Medical Insurance!

8. Do not join a company that would not provide you even the annual home leave tickets for you and family.  That means it is a cheap third rate firm.

9. See earlier

10.Try DPS. (it is all money, man).  There are also other schools in the area near Discovery Gardens, Barsha etc.

11.You have to ask the school.  Others familiar with this process may advise

12. Hard to say.  Rents for 1-bed room may be upwards of 40K per year, excluding utilities, house tax.

13. Get hold of any respectable truck transport company.  There are many in Dammam area.  Do it early as sometimes it could be a long wait at the Saudi-UAE border.  Easier would be to ditch all old and useless items, you can always buy everything here.  Only pack most vital items, and airlift them.  You can clear the cargo yourself easily.

Hello mjrv,

Thank you for your sharing, which will be very useful.

Regards,

David.

Dear MJRV,

Thanks a lot for your kind and valuable feedback.

Regards,
Hitoall