The Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs & Port Security (ICP) has published a consolidated list of the 11 most consequential immigration changes enacted during 2025—ranging from five-year multiple-entry visit visas without local sponsors to tiered salary bands for family sponsorship. The round-up, released on 11 December and widely circulated on 12 December, is designed to give residents and employers a single source of truth as year-end travel peaks.
Highlights include a new US $4,000 minimum bank-balance for unsponsored five-year visas, widened Golden-Visa eligibility (creatives and charity donors now qualify), and four specialist visit-visa sub-categories targeting AI experts, cruise-line crew, entertainers and luxury-yacht staff. Crucially for HR teams, certain visit visas can now be converted to work or residence permits in-country, shaving weeks off assignment start-up times.
For employers and travelers navigating these adjustments, VisaHQ’s UAE specialists can streamline application and conversion processes, flagging the correct salary bands and insurance requirements before paperwork hits the ICP portal. Their online portal (https://www.visahq.com/united-arab-emirates/) provides real-time eligibility checks, document uploads, and courier pickup, reducing the risk of costly rejections.
![ICP lists ‘11 visa rule changes’ mobility teams must master before 2026]()
Mobility advisers are urging companies to audit their expatriate populations against the revamped salary thresholds—Dh 4,000, 8,000 and 15,000—used to sponsor relatives, and to update health-insurance policies that are now mandatory when switching visa status. Failure to align contracts with the new bands could invalidate dependant visas at renewal.
The ICP factsheet is part of the government’s “Zero Bureaucracy” communications drive and follows a year of almost monthly tweaks that left many travellers relying on social media for updates. By compiling the headline items in one document, authorities hope to cut application errors and queuing times at ICP service centres.
Practically, global-mobility managers should incorporate the checklist into pre-departure briefings, re-train travel agents on the expanded e-visa categories, and ensure finance teams budget for the higher medical-insurance floors attached to in-country conversions.
Highlights include a new US $4,000 minimum bank-balance for unsponsored five-year visas, widened Golden-Visa eligibility (creatives and charity donors now qualify), and four specialist visit-visa sub-categories targeting AI experts, cruise-line crew, entertainers and luxury-yacht staff. Crucially for HR teams, certain visit visas can now be converted to work or residence permits in-country, shaving weeks off assignment start-up times.
For employers and travelers navigating these adjustments, VisaHQ’s UAE specialists can streamline application and conversion processes, flagging the correct salary bands and insurance requirements before paperwork hits the ICP portal. Their online portal (https://www.visahq.com/united-arab-emirates/) provides real-time eligibility checks, document uploads, and courier pickup, reducing the risk of costly rejections.
Mobility advisers are urging companies to audit their expatriate populations against the revamped salary thresholds—Dh 4,000, 8,000 and 15,000—used to sponsor relatives, and to update health-insurance policies that are now mandatory when switching visa status. Failure to align contracts with the new bands could invalidate dependant visas at renewal.
The ICP factsheet is part of the government’s “Zero Bureaucracy” communications drive and follows a year of almost monthly tweaks that left many travellers relying on social media for updates. By compiling the headline items in one document, authorities hope to cut application errors and queuing times at ICP service centres.
Practically, global-mobility managers should incorporate the checklist into pre-departure briefings, re-train travel agents on the expanded e-visa categories, and ensure finance teams budget for the higher medical-insurance floors attached to in-country conversions.
