Saudi grants citizenship to 27 talented expatriates
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has granted citizenship to a group of 27 expatriates including doctors, clerics and academics, becoming the second Gulf Arab state, ater the UAE, to introduce a formal naturalisation programme for foreigners with exceptional skills this year.
The announcement follows a royal decree issued last Thursday which grants citizenship to “experts and exceptional global talents” who will contribute to the growth of the kingdom under its ambitious reform plans, state news agency SPA reported last week.
Foreigners in Saudi Arabia usually have renewable visas valid for only a few years and tied to employment.
The naturalisation programme will seek out individuals in Islamic scholarship, medicine, science, culture, sports and technology with a view to creating an “attractive environment” to cultivate and retain exceptional talent to help achieve Vision 2030 goals, SPA said.
Vision 2030 is a plan of reforms to create jobs and reduce the Saudi economy’s dependence on oil.
According to local news reports on Monday, the first group that was just naturalised includes Muslim clerics who supported some of King Salman’s initiatives on religious tolerance, financial experts, medical doctors and academics who specialise in engineering, chemistry and communications.
The move comes as Saudi Arabia seeks to become a regional commercial hub and vie for foreign capital and talent.
In January, the UAE announced a scheme that would grant citizenship to investors, professionals and their families.
This followed a more flexible visa policy in recent years, offering longer residencies for certain types of investors, students and professionals.
NON-PROFIT CITY: Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud announced the launch of the first non-profit city.
The Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Non-profit City in Riyadh is expected to be a model for the development of the non-profit sector globally and an incubator for youth and volunteer groups as well as local and international non-profit institutions, Xinhua news agency quoted a local media report as saying.
The city will be built on an area of around 3.4 square kilometres and will support innovation, entrepreneurship and qualifying future leaders by defining non-profit work.
The city that implements the digital twin model, will host academies, colleges, schools, a conference centre, science museum, creative centre offering a space to support the ambitions of innovators in sciences and new generation technology, the Crown Prince said following the launch on Sunday.
RIYADH: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Founder and Chairman of the Board of Mohammed Bin Salman Misk Foundation, has announced the launch of “Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Non-profit City,” the first non-profit city in the world.
The city will be a model for the development of the non-profit sector globally and an incubator for youth and volunteer groups as well as local and international non-profit institutions.
The Crown Prince said that this will be the first non-profit city of its kind which will contribute to achieving the goals of Mohammed bin Salman
Misk Foundation in supporting innovation, entrepreneurship, and qualifying future leaders by defining non-profit work in terms of opportunities and youth training programmes it will provide.
The project will also provide services that contribute to creating an atractive environment for all beneficiaries of the city’s offerings, he added.
“Prince Mohammed bin Salman Non-profit City, which implements the Digital Twin model, will host academies, colleges, ‘Misk Schools’, a conference centre, a science museum, a creative centre offering a space to support the ambitions of innovators in sciences and new generation technology such as AI, IOT and Robotics,” Prince Mohammed stated.
He added that it will also feature an arts academy and gallery, performing art theatre, play area, cooking academy and integrated residential complex. In addition, the city will host venture capital firms and investors to support and incubate innovative enterprises to drive community contributions from around the world.
The Non-profit City is located on land dedicated by the Crown Prince, in Irqah neighbourhood, adjacent to Wadi Hanifa.
The city’s master plan embodies a humancentred, advanced digital metropolis designed to be sustainable, pedestrian-friendly, and will allocate more than 44 per cent of the total area for green open spaces to promote sustainable development.