Some time back, the department had introduced a new rule for granting visit visas by increasing the amount of the security deposit to Dh5, 000 in some cases while keeping it Dh2, 000 for others in order to curb misuse of the facility.

The Dh2, 000 security deposit is only required from Dubai residents who apply for visit visas for their distant relatives or friends, said Col Bin Bleilah, clarifying that an expatriate does not need to furnish the security deposit when he sponsors his wife, children, father, mother, father-in-law and mother-in-law. Apart from these categories, the department will ask for the security deposit as a pre-requisite to grant visit visa even if it is for a brother, sister, a cousin, any distant relative or a friend, said Lieutenant Colonel Jassim Abdul Ghafoor, Assistant Director for the Executive Office Affairs.

Noting that the department has not introduced any special rules for obtaining visit visas during the DSF 2004, he commented that the process of issuing visas has become faster and more efficient.

'Due to the confusion over the disparities in the security deposit amounts, the department has decided to keep it uniform using the DSF as an occasion to announce this change in rule,' Lt. Col. Abdul Ghafoor said.

'All applicants sponsoring other than their immediate relatives will have to furnish the same amount of Dh2, 000 security deposit, not only during DSF but always,' he said.

The previous decision to increase the amount of the deposit to Dh5, 000 in specific cases was meant to ensure that some applicants are serious enough in bringing their relatives to the UAE for the sole purpose of visit.

The Dh5, 000 deposit was implemented on a case-to-case basis, thus creating lots of confusion.

The uniform security deposit of Dh2, 000 is refundable after the visitor leaves the country and the applicant for his visa furnishes evidence of his/her departure.

Col Bin Bleilah said that expatriate residents of the Gulf countries, other than labourers, obtain their visas on arrival at the airport, or any entry point and they don't have to furnish any security deposit.

He also clarified that the citizens of the 33 countries allowed to obtain their visas on arrival in the UAE are not being charged the Dh100 fees at the entry points.