Last month United Arab Emirates’s (UAE)’s Advanced Visa System was announced by the Federal Authority for Identity.
The same has come into effect from on Monday (October 3).
The new Visa rules, which are approved by UAE’s Cabinet in April, include changes such as longer visas for tourists, extended residency for professionals under the Green Visa and an expanded 10-year Golden Visa scheme.
These changes were aimed to reform the country’s immigration and residency policies. As per Major General Sultan Yousef Al Nuaimi, the Director General of Residency and Foreigners Affairs, the update visa system, in addition to alleviating burdens for foreigners and simplifying visa procedures, is an attempt to “improving the quality of life and making the experience of living, working and investing in the UAE a pleasant and happy one”.
Lets have a look at the new rules and their impact.
Green Visa
The Visa, which was announced in September 2021, is a type of renewable-residence visa that allows foreigners to sponsor themselves for five years, without having to rely on a UAE national or employer to sponsor their visa.
When it comes to the eligibility: Freelancers or self-employed people, skilled workers and investors or partners are eligible
Benefits such as the ability to sponsor family members, including a spouse, children and first-degree relative for the duration of their residency are given in this visa. The previous age limit of 18 of sponsoring male children has been increased to 25.
When it comes to the unmarried daughters and children of determination (with disabilities), the UAE government had said that they shall be granted residence regardless of age.
Holders will also receive an extended flexible grace period of up to six months if their residence permit is cancelled or has expired.
Golden Visa Expansion
Introduced in order to attract and retain talent within the country, Golden Visas began to be approved in late 2020 and in the first year, 44,000 of them were issued in Dubai alone. It offers the holders long-term renewable residence visas for upto 10 years. Those that are eligible for the Golden visa include investors, entrepreneurs, individuals with exceptional talents the likes of researchers, medical professionals and those within the scientific and knowledge fields and outstanding students and graduates.
The new visa changes, in addition to benefits such as 100 per cent ownership of their businesses, also provides other advantages.
While previously, those who lived outside the country for six months lost their residency, the Golden Visa will now remain valid irrespective of the time they spend outside the UAE.
There is no limit on the number of domestic labour they can sponsor, and the changes will also allow the holder to sponsor their family members — including spouse and children of any age — and permit family members to stay in the UAE even if the Golden Visa holder dies, as long as the visa remains valid.
More people are also now eligible for the Golden Visa. Skilled professionals in fields such as science and engineering, medicine, IT, business and administration and education can also now receive a 10-year visa, as reported by Khaleej Times. The monthly salary requirement has also been reduced to AED 30,000 (Rs 6.6 lakh), from the previous limit of AED 50,000 (Rs 11.1 lakh).
Changes for Tourists & Others
Now the tourist visas shall allow visitors to legally enter and stay in the UAE for 60 days, the same was 30 days earlier.
A five-year, flexible multi-entry tourist visa was also introduced that allows them to stay in the UAE for up to 90 days in a row.
There will be no requirement of a sponsor or a host for the job exploration visa anymore.
Those that fall under the first, second or third skill level classification of the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation and new graduates from the top 500 universities of the world will be eligible for the job exploration visa.
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