New visa regime a shot in the arm for UAE

In the UAE, the emphasis for recognition is not based on age, height, colour, nationality or other social circumstances; the country’s guiding principle of inclusivity emphasises the value of humans, and not where they come from, and all are considered equal. This fundamental truth about the UAE finds re-emphasis as the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) sets a brisk pace in the issuance of the Gold Card visas, a breakthrough that was initiated on May 21 this year. Nearly 40 such visas are being given per day, with 400 individuals having received this coveted status and the year-end target is pencilled in at 6,800 visas.

Gold Card visas, which offer a 10-year residency term to specific categories of people — which is renewable subject to conditions reviewed at the end of the period — is premised on the empowering principle of reciprocity and retention. Whether they be investors, entrepreneurs, highly specialised individuals or outstanding students, their contributions to the UAE nourish the country’s grass roots, enriching its human resource treasury and capabilities as a 21st century nation, that is setting an example of pragmatic idealism the world is paying attention to.

The sweep of the Gold Card visa includes, as part of the special talents section, personnel such as executive directors with a bachelor’s degree, five years’ experience in the UAE and a monthly salary of Dh30,000 for a 10-year visa.

This is an excellent propagation of a whole new ecosystem of talent and positive outcomes, based on identifying hard-nosed talent, that will provide an enormous boost of new synergy for the UAE, not to talk of the comfort, joy and stability it will bring to expatriates and their families, whose investment in the UAE is not just financial but also emotional and personal.

For scores of Gold Card visa holders, who have built a symbiotic bond with the UAE, and who deeply cherish and value its incomparable quality of governance, humanitarian principles and world-class lifestyle, this is the proverbial pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Thanks to the UAE’s visionary policies, their future now is distinctly brighter because they can now truly consider it their home. A reality that once again confirms the fact that for the UAE’s leadership, success has always been about how it can empower its people to take the country forward.