UAE to grant virus experts ‘golden’ 10-year residence visa
The UAE said on Sunday it will grant all doctors and infectious disease experts living in the country a 10-year visa, who are helping to combat the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Foreigners in the UAE, like most Gulf countries, are generally only given limited residence visas tied to their current employment.
But to attract the business community and highly skilled workers, the UAE last year launched the “Golden” 10-year visa program, which is now being expanded.
Those eligible include holders of doctorate degrees, medical doctors, and computer, electronics, programming, electrical and biotechnology engineers, tweeted Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, Dubai’s ruler.
“We are keen to embrace talent that drives future development and this is only the beginning,” said Sheikh Mohammed.
Students from accredited universities who are getting top grades could also qualify, he said, along with those holding specialized 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 percent of the population of some 10 million in the 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 has done serious damage to the economy, which was already slumping in recent years due to low oil prices.
Similar programs have been launched in other countries that seek to diversify their economies. Riyadh said in June 2019 that it will offer permanent residency for SR800,000 ($213,000) and a one-year renewable residency costing SR100,000, allowing expats to do business and buy property without a Saudi sponsor.