Bollywood singer Sonu Nigam latest to get UAE’s 10-year Golden Visa

Award-winning Bollywood singer Sonu Nigam is the latest celebrity to be granted the honour of a 10-year UAE Golden Visa.

Nigam thanked the UAE government while speaking about his 27-year journey with the country that he calls a second home. “I am grateful to the UAE Government for honouring me with the Golden Visa. From the time I came to Dubai for the first time in 1994, it has been a part of my growing up and also been a witness and catalyst to my artistic and professional journey,” Nigam said in a statement.

In an interview with Gulf News last year, Nigam revealed that he was living in Dubai for longer stretches now as his son studies at a local school here.

Calling this his “favourite place”, Nigam added: “I look forward to contribute whatever I can to my best capacity to Dubai and it’s people. My gratitude to the Dubai Government and Dubai Immigration and also my brother Mr Rizwan Sajan, Founder and Chairman of Danube Group, for making it so memorable and personal for me.”

Nigam was accompanied by Sajan as he received his Golden Visa.

“The awarding of the Golden Visa to Sonu Nigam comes as part of the UAE government’s vision to attract greater talents in the UAE and in the next few months we will see more and more artists, singers, poets, writers, journalists and academicians to receive the same. This will help the UAE to become a centre of art and culture and we look forward to welcome more such talents to the UAE,” Sajan said in a statement.

The UAE has awarded the Golden Visa to a number of celebrities from India, including Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt, and South Indian stalwarts Mohanlal, Mammootty, Dulquer Salmaan and Prithviraj.