IAU Student Visa

Students can be sponsored by the Islamic Azad University- UAE Branch for a student visa.

Students who are in the UAE and wish to transfer to the IAU-UAE visa without exiting the country will pay a one-time additional AED 1800 for visa status change. (subject to change)

Please allow up to 20 working days to process the visa. Students must submit the paperwork well in advance to avoid paying overstay fines.

IAU-UAE Administration Office handles all official government documents and transactions to obtain student visas and renewals. The students are responsible for the transaction fees to process the visa.

For more information, please contact a.firouzi@iau.ae or call +971 4 5674 619. 

Visa Renewal

The student visa is valid for one year and renewed annually. Visa renewal will not be processed unless the student meets the requirements mentioned in General Visa Requirements. The student’s responsibility is to notify the Administration Office about visa renewal. To avoid additional charges/fines, students are required to submit the following documents one month before the visa expiry:

  • Original passport
  • Receipt of the visa renewal fee and health insurance
  • Three passport size photographs with white background
  • Valid Emirates ID card
  • Valid Medical health insurance

The visa renewal process is expected to take 3-4 weeks (working days). However, this estimate strictly relies on when the UAE Government Authorities finalize their checks & clearances. The student will be required to pay any additional fees, or fines should a delay from the Government Authorities occur.

Medical Examination

As part of the visa application, all students (new and renewing) are required to undertake and pass a medical examination. Upon arriving at the IAU-UAE or after the orientation session, students must visit the Student Affairs Immigration Department during business hours and submit the following:

  • Original passport
  • Original visa with a stamp from Immigration at the airport
  • Three passport size photographs

The examination will occur at a Ministry of Health approved hospital or clinic or the municipality health clinic. Kindly note the following:

  • When submitting a passport for processing, the Student Affairs Immigration Department will request the students complete their medical exam. The time frame for this shall not exceed one week.
  • The Student Affairs Immigration Department will notify students passing their medical. Their passports will then be sent to Immigration for final stamping. Prior to stamping and according to the UAE Law, students are required to obtain medical insurance through the university or externally (DHA Compliant policy must be provided). Stamping cannot be processed unless proof of insurance is provided.
  • The Student Affairs Immigration Department will advise students via email to collect their passports once the visa is stamped

Student Visa Cancellation

Students on a Student Residence visa are required to cancel their visa immediately upon completing/leaving their program of study and before leaving the UAE. This process takes approximately five working days. Failure to do this may result in strict legal and financial implications with the UAE Government Immigration Office. Failure to comply with local regulations could result in a ban in entering the UAE and other GCC countries. To cancel the student visa, the following documents must be submitted 15 days prior to expiry or leaving/completion of a program of study (if before the expiry date):

  • Original Passport
  • Original Emirates ID

General Visa Requirements

  • iau dubaiAll visa applicants must attend medical examinations.
  • Students must adhere to any attendance policy relevant to their program of study.
  • All students must be covered by medical insurance, either private (must provide a DHA Policy) or through the IAU Dubai preferred provider.
  • Candidates must be full-time students enrolled in one of the IAU-UAE degree programs.
  • During the fall or spring semester, incoming students who have been accepted and enrolled at IAU Dubai will become eligible for a new student visa once all documents highlighted below are submitted. Applicants in the UAE and outside the UAE could provide a soft copy to info@iau.ae or a hard copy to the office in our campus in knowledge park, Dubai:
  • Completed Visa Application Form
  • Admission/offer letter from the IAU-UAE academic registration office
  • Coloured passport copy with a six months validity
  • Copy of current residence visa and Emirates ID (if residing in the UAE are planning to shift to IAU-UAE sponsorship)
  • Copy of the tourist visa, visit visa, or previous visa cancellation notice
  • Three passport size photographs with white background
  • Copy of medical insurance documentation (if available)
  • Receipt for payment of the tuition fees for the first semester made to the Finance Department (AED 10,000 for bachelor degree programs and AED 12,000 for master degree programs)
  • Receipt of visa processing fees, i.e. offshore students AED 3,019 and onshore students AED 4,649.
  • Visa deposit payment of AED 2,500 (one-time payment and refundable deposit following visa cancellation minus visa cancellation charges and other outstanding balance if any)
  • Contact details in the UAE (if available)

In addition to the above documents, students residing outside the UAE (offshore students) are also required to submit a copy of their airline tickets. We will email you the student visa after you have provided the required documents, including the airline ticket. Kindly note the followings:

  • Your acceptance at IAU-UAE does not mean you will be granted an entry visa to the UAE. All visa applications are subject to the approval of the official authorities. Rejection of visa is also possible.
  • The university will submit your visa application to the relevant authorities, and the applicant will be advised of the acceptance or rejection in due course.
  • All students on a university-sponsored visa have limited labour rights. New regulations issued in 2016 allow students to work part-time subject to a NOC from the university and in specific locations.
  • Visa applications that are rejected will incur costs associated with the visa application process.
  • Students arriving in the UAE on a tourist or service visa must exit the country to validate the student visa once issued.

As per the Dubai Immigration Regulations, a candidate on a tourist visa can apply whilst based in the UAE; however, they will be required to leave the UAE through Immigration and re-enter with a ‘student’ visa. Please note that if you have a “Visit Visa, not a tourist visa”, you may transfer to a Student Visa without leaving the country.

According to the UAE Laws and Immigration, there is typically a grace period of 30 days for you to renew your visa after expiry. Afterwards, there are fines daily with the grace period you will have to incur prior to processing your visa.

The UAE Immigration Office typically provides clearances within a couple of weeks. However, in some cases, security checking takes longer, which could incur some fines from Immigration that will be charged to students.

International students under an IAU student visa cannot sponsor their parents for a residence visa. However, such students may sponsor their spouse/parents for a tourist visa if approved by Immigration (For 14 days to 40 days). The student’s responsibility is to apply for a spouse/parents tourist visa.