Manama: The UAE has adopted amendments that would allow granting the Emirati citizenship to investors, specialized talents and professionals and their families, the government said on Saturday.
The specialized talents and professionals that will be granted citizenship include scientists, doctors, engineers, artists, authors and their families, UAE Vice President and Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said in a tweet.
“The UAE cabinet, local Emiri courts and executive councils will nominate those eligible for the citizenship under clear criteria set for each category,” Sheikh Mohammed said.
The law also allows receivers of the UAE passport to keep their existing citizenship, he added.
The new decisions aim to attract talents that contribute to our development journey, he wrote on Twitter.
The decision specified the categories of the people who can be granted citizenship, under certain conditions. In addition to granting citizenship to the families- the spouse and children of this specialised and skilled segment, the law allows for them to also keep their current citizenship, which is a major change to the previous rule that doesn’t allow for dual citizenship, Gulf News reported.
Foreigners in the UAE usually have renewable visas valid tied to their job. The government in recent has made its visa policy more flexible, offering Gold card for longer residencies for certain types of investors, students and professionals.
