The United Arab Emirates has said it will grant all doctors and infectious disease experts living in the country a 10-year visa.
Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum shared this information in a tweet saying all who are helping to combat the coronavirus pandemic would benefit.
Foreigners in the UAE, like most Gulf countries, are generally only given limited residence visas tied to their current employment, and long-term residency is difficult to obtain.
But to attract wealthy business people and highly skilled workers, the UAE last year launched the “Golden” 10-year visa programme, which is now being expanded.
READ ALSO: 2020 U.S Elections: I Concede Nothing – Trump Declares
Students from accredited universities who are getting top grades could also qualify, he said, along with those holding specialised degrees in artificial intelligence, big data and epidemiology.
The scheme last year drew in some 6,800 investors, in a windfall worth $27 billion for the economy.
Foreigners account for 90 per cent of the population of some 10 million in the oil-rich UAE, the Arab world’s second-largest economy.
The country has so far recorded more than 150,000 cases of the coronavirus, including 530 deaths.
A months-long lockdown and the impact on tourism and business has done serious damage to the economy, which was already slumping in recent years due to low oil prices.
The “Golden Visa” was the first such scheme in the Gulf, which keeps tight control on residency.
Similar programmes have been launched in other countries that seek to diversify their economies such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
Riyadh said in June 2019 that it will offer permanent residency for 800,000 riyals ($213,000) and a one-year renewable residency costing 100,000 riyals ($27,000), allowing experts to do business and buy property without a Saudi sponsor.
Today, we approved granting the 10-year Golden Visa to all PhD holders in the UAE. Also, the Golden Visa will be granted to top graduates from UAE-accredited universities with a GPA of 3.8 and above.
— HH Sheikh Mohammed (@HHShkMohd) November 15, 2020
UAE Golden Visa will also include UAE-based physicians as well as engineers in the fields of computer science, electronics, programming, electricity and biotechnology.
— HH Sheikh Mohammed (@HHShkMohd) November 15, 2020
Other categories granted UAE Golden Residency are specialists in AI, big data, virology, epidemiology & UAE’s high school top graduates and their families. We are keen to embrace talent that drives future development and this is only the beginning.
— HH Sheikh Mohammed (@HHShkMohd) November 15, 2020
