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The UAE job seeker visa lets you enter for 60, 90 or 120 days to look for work, with no sponsor or host. In Dubai, GDRFA charges AED 200, AED 300 or AED 400 plus 5% VAT and takes a AED 1,000 security deposit. You need a bachelor's degree and either MOHRE skill level 1, 2 or 3 or a top 500 university. Issue takes 48 hours.
GDRFA names the service "Issuing a visit visa to explore job opportunities". People search for it as the job search visa, the Dubai visit visa for job seekers or the job seeker visa. It's one product.
Who can apply: the "and" or "or" problem
This is where most people get stuck, and the official pages don't agree with each other.
- u.ae (updated in September) lists MOHRE skill level 1, 2 or 3, or a graduate of one of the top 500 universities in the world within the last two years. A bachelor's degree is the minimum.
- The GDRFA service page was read twice in October. The first read gave the two conditions joined by "or". The second read, on , joined them with "and": skill level 1, 2 or 3 and a bachelor's from a top 500 university, ranked by the Ministry of Education.
The two readings lead to very different results. Under "or", a skilled professional from any accredited university can apply. Under "and", only top 500 graduates can. Open the GDRFA job seeker page on the day you apply and read the eligibility line yourself. We do the same before we file.
What MOHRE skill levels mean
MOHRE grades jobs and qualifications from 1 to 9. Levels 1 and 2 need a bachelor's degree. Levels 3 and 4 need a diploma. Level 5 is high school, and levels 6 to 9 have no education condition. Anyone under AED 4,000 a month or without a degree counts as not skilled. So in practice, this visa is for graduates aiming at professional roles.
Fees at a glance
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| 60 days | AED 200 plus 5% VAT |
| 90 days | AED 300 plus 5% VAT |
| 120 days | AED 400 plus 5% VAT |
| Security deposit | AED 1,000 |
| Fee inside the country, if already in the UAE | AED 500, plus AED 10 and AED 10 |
| Extension, each time | AED 600 plus 5% VAT |
Source: GDRFA job seeker visa and extension service pages, checked .
The deposit also carries a AED 20 warranty fee and a AED 40 collection and refund fee. Our job seeker visa cost page lays out every line, including the ICP fees for other emirates.
Documents
- Personal photo, white background
- Passport valid for at least six months
- University degree (u.ae asks for an attested qualification certificate)
- A UAE Pass account, if you apply online yourself
Get the degree attested early. When an employer later files your work permit, MOHRE asks for an attested degree for skilled jobs, so you'll need it again within weeks.
How long it takes
GDRFA states 48 hours for the visa and 48 hours for each extension. Channels are the GDRFA website or app with UAE Pass, Amer centres and Customer Happiness Centres.
Extending your stay
If the search runs long, GDRFA extends the visa once or more, up to 180 days in total. Each extension is AED 600 plus 5% VAT. The extension page also lists AED 500, AED 10 and AED 10 as fees inside the country, so ask what applies to your file. More on timing in our Dubai visa extension guide.
Don't let the visa lapse while you wait for an offer. Overstay fines start the day after it expires.
When you get the job offer
The employer takes over and pays. u.ae says recruitment, travel and residency costs fall on the employer, and charging a job seeker recruitment fees is illegal. The order is:
- The employer gets a MOHRE work permit for you. See UAE work permit.
- Your visit status changes to an employment entry permit, without leaving the country. See change visa status in the UAE.
- Medical test, Emirates ID biometrics and the residence visa follow.
The full sequence is on our Dubai work visa page.
Common reasons it gets refused or stalls
- Skill level mismatch. Your degree and target job don't fit level 1, 2 or 3.
- University not on the ranking. If the live page says "and", a degree outside the top 500 fails.
- Short passport. Under six months left on the passport.
- Degree not readable or not attested. A phone photo of a certificate in a third language rarely passes.
- Applying from inside the UAE without budgeting for the AED 500 fee, so the payment fails midway.
Tips before you apply
- Pick 120 days if hiring in your field is slow. One extension costs more than the jump from 90 to 120 days.
- Keep the deposit receipt. You need it to claim the money back.
- If you're coming to set up a business rather than take a job, GDRFA has a separate visa to explore business opportunities, with the same fee scale and proof of investment.
How it works with us
Message us on WhatsApp or use the form on this page with your passport copy and degree. A visa adviser reads the live GDRFA eligibility line, checks your degree and job level against it, and tells you plainly if you don't qualify. If you do, you get one total price, confirmed on WhatsApp before you pay. The team files the application, pays the deposit and follows it until the e-visa reaches your inbox. DubaiVisaDesk.com is a private visa service. GDRFA or ICP decides every application.
If GDRFA refuses the visa, the authorities don't return the government fee. Before you pay, the adviser writes down what part of our total, if any, comes back after a refusal.
Official sources
- GDRFA job seeker visa: fees, deposit, eligibility, documents, 48 hours.
- GDRFA job seeker extension: AED 600 fee, 180-day limit.
- u.ae job seeker visit visa: one trip, "or" wording, attested qualification.
- ICP visa extension: 180-day cap for job exploration visas.
- u.ae labour rights: who pays, recruitment fee ban.
Checked . Eligibility wording has changed between reads, so confirm it on GDRFA before paying.
