Students who want to study in the UAE are issued with a UAE Student Visa. Student visas are offered for full-time programs. UAE student visas are valid for a period of 12 months. International students are required to renew their student visas at the end of the 12-month period if their program is longer than that period.
Murdoch University Dubai provides a visa sponsorship service through the Dubai Development Authority for all students residing and/or not residing in the UAE. This allows you to study and reside in the country for a 1 year (renewable) period, to cover the duration of your program. Residency visas are required for all international students and residents over the age of 18 who currently reside in Dubai.
You need to be a full-time student to qualify for Murdoch University Dubai visa sponsorship, and to start the process you should have accepted an unconditional offer and have paid all fees due as per your Letter of Offer.
Below, you can find all the details and steps you’ll need to take to get a Dubai student visa.
STEP 1. Apply for an Entry Permit
To apply for visa sponsorship, you will need to submit a completed Visa Application Form along with the following documentation to Murdoch University Dubai Student Services Public Relations Officer (PRO):
Outside UAE
Inside UAE
NB. All documents must be scanned in full colour.
STEP 2. Local Amendment or Arrival Intimation completed
If you are in-country a Local Amendment needs to be completed and a medical insurance document uploaded. You must also provide a copy of your tourist visa, visit visa or previous visa cancellation paper; and a clear coloured copy of the front and back of Emirates ID if available.
If you are applying from outside the UAE, a copy of the Entry Permit needs to be emailed to you first, and you enter the country with the entry permit. The entry permit will be stamped upon arrival by immigration. Once Entry Permit has been stamped, an Arrival Intimation needs to be done. The following documents are to be submitted to Murdoch University upon arrival for visa stamping.
Documents needed for Arrival Intimation:
STEP 3. Medical and Emirates ID received from TECOM
After your Local Amendment or Arrival Intimation is completed, you must attend and pass a medical examination. The examination will take place at a Ministry of Health-approved hospital or clinic.
You must submit your original passport and photographs to Murdoch University Dubai who will pass them to TECOM on your behalf, so you can be issued with an Emirates ID. At the time of submitting your passport for processing, the Student Services Department will provide you with a Medical Fitness Report request, which will require you to attend a medical. Upon passing your medical, you will be advised by Murdoch Dubai’s Student Services team, generally within 5 to 7 working days of your medical test and Emirates ID schedule dates.
Passports for those who have passed their medication will be sent to Immigration for final stamping. The Murdoch University Dubai Student Services Department will advise you to collect your passport once stamping has been completed.
Medical insurance will be valid ONLY when final stamping has been completed. You are advised to arrange interim health insurance for the period of arrival until final stamping occurs. Under the UAE’s Student Visa Immigration policy, all students must have health insurance – either private insurance or insurance arranged through Murdoch University Dubai’s preferred provider.
The visa application process normally takes 10–12 working days, and applications normally undergo a security check by UAE government authorities. However, some applications can take up to 1 month or more. Some visa applicants may also be required to submit additional documentation to the UAE government authorities (e.g. an attested birth certificate, translated into Arabic).
As part of the visa laws, all students must have health insurance for the duration of their visa. Students issued with a 12-month visa have access to our group medical health insurance scheme. Murdoch University Dubai has partnered with a local insurance company to provide a comprehensive and competitively priced medical insurance plan.
This scheme is compulsory for visa-sponsored students and optional for non-sponsored students, who can make an application through the Registrar’s Department. It provides round-the-clock cover for expenses incurred by students in a wide network of hospitals and clinics in the UAE, whether as an outpatient, inpatient or emergency admission.
