Manama: The UAE decided to extend its golden visa system to certain categories of professionals, specialised degree-holders and others, in a bid to attract and retain talented people and great minds from various fields and scientific disciplines.
The golden visa, which grants 10-year residency in the Emirates will be issued to all PhD holders, physicians, and engineers in computer engineering, electronics, programming, electricity and biotechnology, UAE Vice President and the ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum said in a statement.
Also eligible are holders of specialised degrees in artificial intelligence, big data, epidemiology, and virology as well as students living in the UAE who rank top in the high school or scores GPA of 3.8 or higher in accredited universities.
The new decision, which was approved by the UAE Cabinet, will take place from December 1, 2020, the statement said.
Currently, the long term residency programme titled Golden Card is open to large investors, as well as unique talents in medicine, engineering and science. Since its launching in June 2019, more than 400 investors and businesspeople, including some of their families had already been granted the 10-year residence, with dozens more receiving it each day.
Expats in the Emirates usually have renewable visas valid for only a few years tied to employment.
The Emirati rulers in the past couple of years have made its visa policy more flexible, offering longer residencies for certain types of investors, professionals and students. 10-year visa is such a move. In 2018 the country announced a long-term visa plan in 2018, and started granting 5- and 10-year renewable visas to certain foreign investors, entrepreneurs, chief executives, scientists and outstanding students in 2019.
“This is the first batch and it will be followed by other categories. We want talented people and great minds to stay in the UAE and join us in the process of development and achievements,” Sheikh Mohammed tweeted.
The Golden Residency holders and their families will be offered a 10-year residency visa. The government is confident that the new decision will attract more investors and professionals as the country offers a dynamic lifestyle and safety that are considered main characteristics of life in the UAE.
The new golden residency categories expand the programme to further encourage innovation, creativity and applied research, adding to the appeal of a career in the Emirates for the world’s brightest minds, the statement said.
