Citizenship granted to 1,117
Khalifa's decrees benefit those born to Emirati women married to foreigners
Abu Dhabi: President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan issued on Sunday federal decrees granting Emirati citizenship to 1,117 people who were born to Emirati women married to foreigners.
The names were approved after the committee tasked with implementing the order reviewed the lists of names provided by the Ministry of Interior, WAM reported. The UAE became the first and only GCC country so far to grant women this right in 2011, while Tunisia was the first that allowed women to pass on their citizenship in 1993. Egypt followed in 2004 and Algeria in 2005, while Morocco gave women that right in 2007.
Nearly 5,000 beneficiaries were found to have met the conditions to acquire citizenship, a senior official told Gulf News yesterday.
"The group of newly naturalised citizens will be followed by several other groups shortly, as nearly 5,000 candidates are eligible to gain citizenship," said the official who wished not to be named because he is not authorised to speak to the press. The rule allows children of Emirati women, both naturalised and citizens from birth, to become UAE citizens once they are of legal age.
Dr Amal Al Qubaisi, first deputy speaker of the Federal National Council, said Shaikh Khalifa's gesture made lifetime wishes of a group of people living in this country come true.
