His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, on Sunday announced that more classes of professionals will be eligible for the 10-year golden residency visas.
The golden visa advantage extends to the spouses and children. All categories are required to have a valid employment contract in a specialised field of a priority in the UAE.
Below is the complete list of professions that can apply for the Golden Visa.
1. PhD degree holders: Under the law, professionals holding PhD degree will be awarded with the Golden Visa. The individual should be holding PhD degree from one of the top 500 universities in the world.
2. Doctors: The authorities also allow all doctors to obtain a 10-year visa. This will help the country to better cope with the pandemic and meet shortfall of medical professionals in the country. Doctors specialising in viral epidemiology will be awarded with the Golden Visa, Sheikh Mohammed said.
3. Engineers: In order to attract the talent in this specialised field, all engineers in the field of computers, electronics, programming, electricals, electronics, active technology, AI and Big Data can obtain the golden visa.
4. Highly qualified individuals: The UAE also offers 10-year visa to highly-qualified individuals who have achieved high scores of 3.8 or more from approved universities.
5. Researchers/Scientists: This includes researchers and scientists who are specialist of their respective fields. Scientists must be accredited by Emirates Scientists Council or holders of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Medal for Scientific Excellence.
6. Inventors: The UAE also offers golden visa to inventors but they must obtain a patent of value, which adds to the UAE’s economy. Patents must be approved by Ministry of Economy.
7. Artists: Creative individuals in the field of culture and art will be awarded with the golden visa. Creative individuals in culture and art must be accredited by Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development.
8. Investors: Foreign investors who have invested Dh10 million or above can also apply for the golden visa. This investment can be in the form of deposit in an investment fund, establishment of a company or investment in the real estate or any other strategic sectors. A number of Indian, Pakistani and Arab investors have been awarded golden visas under this scheme.
Below is the list of professionals who can obtain a 5-year visa:
1. Entrepreneurs: This category includes those having an existing project with a minimum capital of Dh500,000, or those who have the approval of an accredited business incubator in the country. The entrepreneur is allowed a multi-entry visa for six months, renewable for another six months. The long-term visa includes the spouse and children, a partner and three executives.
2. Outstanding students: This includes students with a minimum grade of 95 per cent in public and private secondary schools university students within and outside the country having a distinction GPA of at least 3.75 upon graduation. Long-term visa includes families of the outstanding students.
