UAE Extends Eligibility List for ‘Golden’ Visa

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice president and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, announced on Sunday that the UAE had extended its list of those eligible for a 10-year residency visa, hinting at some of the professional fields the Emirates is seeking to strengthen. “Today we approved the granting of the 10-year golden visa to all PhD holders, all doctors, engineers in the fields of computer engineering, electronics, programming, electricity and biotechnology, as well as graduates from accredited universities who score 3.8 & above,” Sheikh Mohammed – who is also the ruler of Dubai – tweeted in Arabic, with the Dubai Media Office tweeting an English-language translation on its own account. “The golden visa will also be granted to holders of specialized degrees in AI, big data, or epidemiology and viruses, as well as outstanding high school students in the country and their families,” the sheikh said in a second tweet. In 2019, the UAE began granting residency visas for periods of five to 10 years to foreign investors and entrepreneurs, as well as others.