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The United Arab Emirates (UAE) advanced visa system, first announced last month by the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP), will come into effect on Monday (Oct 3).
The UAE Cabinet approved new visa rules in April – aimed at reforming the country’s immigration and residency policies – including changes such as extending tourist visas, extending the duration of residence for professionals under green visas and expanding the 10-year golden visa scheme.
Major General Sultan Yusuf said that in addition to reducing the burden on foreigners and simplifying the visa process, the updated visa regime is an attempt to “enhance the quality of life and make the experience of living, working and investing in the UAE enjoyable and joyful”. According to Gulf News, the director-general of residency and foreigners affairs, Nuemi.
What are the new rules? How will they affect tourists or those who want to work or live in the UAE? We explain.
green visa
Announced in September 2021, the Green Visa is a renewable residency visa that allows foreigners to sponsor themselves for five years without relying on UAE nationals or employers to sponsor the visa. Freelancers or self-employed, skilled workers and investors or partners are eligible for visas.
Green visa holders can also receive additional benefits, such as sponsoring family members, including spouses, children and first-degree relatives, during their residency. The UAE government said in June that parents would be able to sponsor boys up to the age of 25, above the previous age limit of 18, while unmarried daughters and children of determination (disabled) would be granted residency regardless of age.
Holders will also receive a flexible grace period of up to six months if the residence permit is cancelled or expired.
Extension of the Golden Visa
The Golden Visa provides holders with a long-term renewable residency visa of up to 10 years. Those eligible for the Golden Visa include investors, entrepreneurs, individuals with special talents such as researchers, medical professionals and people in the fields of science and knowledge, as well as outstanding students and graduates.
In order to attract and retain talent at home, golden visas began to be approved in late 2020, with 44,000 issued in Dubai alone in the first year, according to the UAE newspaper The Nation.
In addition to benefits such as 100% business ownership, the new visa changes provide golden visa holders with other advantages. Previously, those who lived abroad for six months lost their residency, while the Golden Visa is now still valid regardless of the length of their stay outside the UAE. There is no limit to the number of domestic workers they can sponsor, and the changes will also allow holders to sponsor their family members – including spouses and children of any age – and allow family members to stay in the UAE even on golden visas as long as While the visa is still valid, the holder dies.
More people are also now eligible for the Golden Visa. Technical professionals in fields such as science and engineering, medicine, IT, business and management, and education are also now eligible for 10-year visas, according to Khaleej Times. The monthly salary requirement has also been lowered to AED 30,000 (Rs 660,000) from AED 50,000 (Rs 1.11 lakh) previously.
Changes in tourists and others
The tourist visa will now allow tourists to legally enter and stay in the UAE for 60 days, an increase from the previous 30 days.
A five-year, flexible multiple-entry tourist visa has also been introduced, allowing them to stay in the UAE for up to 90 consecutive days.
In addition, the Job Exploration visa, designed to make it easy for talented professionals to find employment in the UAE, does not require a sponsor or host. Those who fall under the first, second or third skill level classification of the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation and recent graduates of Fortune 500 universities will be eligible for the Work Exploration visa.
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