Abu Dhabi or Cairo Visa Office?

[sponsorCan]

Hello everyone,

I am a Canadian citizen sponsoring my husband who is a resident of UAE. We can apply through the Abu Dhabi visa office. However, he also has the option of applying through Cairo if he chooses the visa office based on his nationality. We initially thought about choosing Cairo because it seems to be quicker according to the processing times in the immigration website, but UAE is more convenient if an interview is required. I would like to get an advice if any of you has an experience with these two visa offices.

Thank you

 

[missmini]

it's really ur call but abu-dhabi although some members did get it fast recently has 25 months timeline.....what if his visa gets canceled, or something happens and he has to leave? how will he then enter back for an interview if required....u know in this area it's hard and complicated to get tourist visa and expensive!!! we went through the same dilemma, but 25 possible months of waiting was just too much and too much risk....life in this region is very unpredectible especially when u r just for work in a country : good luck!!

 

[sponsorCan]

Thank you missmini. That's right, it does involve a risk if you have to leave the country. It seems from the posts that I read so far that the time depends on the case more than the office itself. We dealt with AD office before when we issued a visit visa for my husband to Canada and it took them 2 months to issue the visa. I still feel more comfortable with the Cairo office just in case anything changes with the gulf residency.
Good luck to you too. I hope you've had a positive experience so far.

 

[bu ayaan]

I totally agree with missmini, plus certain documents asked by the UAE VO are almost impossible to get from the immigration offices of the respective countries. I would say go for Cairo office.

 

[missmini]

thank u sponsorCan, u too i hope u'll have a positive fast experience yes it's true it does depend on the case too but u really need to b extremely lucky to b in the 1-2% who r processed very fast...u don't know exactly how they process and what they r following so even if u think u have a strong case u might still have some time to wait....also even a strong case might b in queue after slower cases so at the end u might wait one year without anyone looking at ur file at all....of course same could happen in Cairo too but at least there u can get people involved, make inquiries sooner....for abu-dhabi anyone might tell u that u r still in their processing timeline....

bu ayaan is right abu-dhabi does ask for very specific documents throughout the process which slows down things and yeah for some (the saudi residents for example) it's impossible to get those papers....but now i don't think it's clear for anyone if it's just abu-dhabi procedure or maybe cairo might ask for those documents too just cuz ur husband resides in the gulf

one last thing even if u ask for cairo office they might decide to send it to abu-dhabi anyway (i read cases like that)....noone knows why, it relates to very specific personal circumstances i guess which noone can know them from outside....also i heard that many cairo files were and still r processed at the ottawa pilot office - not sure if that makes things faster or slower....good luck hope u'll take the good decision

 

[Canada Wolf]

Hi sponsorCan!

If am in your place I would definitely go for Cairo VO, you have 15 months in Cairo VS 25 in Abu Dhabi. If they asked for an interview in Cairo all you need is to fly for this interview there!! all you need is to submit your documents to Mississauga and it will automatically take it's way to Cairo after as long as you mentioned that in your file. Plus if your lucky and your case is straightforward it won't take them long to process it it might be less that 15 months if you get under the OPP thing! And If ever your husband need to move out of UAE for any reason, it will be a hassle to get a visa to attend an interview!! Egypt is his country at the end!!

 

[sponsorCan]

Hello everyone,

Thank you all for the advice. We submitted our sponsorship application and chose Cairo visa office. I received an e-mail today from the Mississauga centre stating that they received my file on May 22nd, 2012. I still have to wait for the first approval and see where they will send our file. It says in the website that it takes around 90 days, so I guess I'll hear from the visa office by August/September. Does any one know if the Cairo office requests a cancellation of the uae visa before they issue the PR?

 

[missmini]

Hello everyone,

Thank you all for the advice. We submitted our sponsorship application and chose Cairo visa office. I received an e-mail today from the Mississauga centre stating that they received my file on May 22nd, 2012. I still have to wait for the first approval and see where they will send our file. It says in the website that it takes around 90 days, so I guess I'll hear from the visa office by August/September. Does any one know if the Cairo office requests a cancellation of the uae visa before they issue the PR?

not clear if they follow the same procedure or not; u could put in ur mind that they might, so then u won't b taken by surprise and u'll know what to do fast
me too i wonder the same thing but not with Cairo office, with Amman one
good luck!!

 

[sponsorCan]

Thanks missmini. I guess I'd worry about that after the file transfer. I received the AOR from CIC and I'm waiting for the sponsor approval.
Good luck with your case!

 

[tender_heart]

From my experience, let Abu Dhabi Office be your last last last and always the last option. They have the longest processing times and they overwhelm you with their unrealistic requirements!!!

Go for Cairo all the way.

Good luck!

 

[sponsorCan]

Thank you tender_heart. We asked for Cairo. I just hope they don't send it automatically to Abu Dhabi one! It looks like you had an unpleasant experience with it. I hope everything goes well for you.

 

[sponsorCan]

Well.. I guess it'll be Abu Dhabi after all! I received the approval today from CIC and they chose to send the application to Abu Dhabi visa office even though we requested Cairo. So, we have to deal with them now.

 

[najh786]

Sponsorcan:Have u heard anything from abu dhabi visa office, please share if you do, i applied in june 2012