If you want to study or work while living in Dubai, the Dubai Golden Visa might offer you this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. This particular visa offers a long-term stay in Dubai with many benefits and allows people from seven different categories to apply.
The Dubai Golden Visa is a long-term visa that allows foreigners to live, work or study in Dubai. You receive a 6-month entry visa, at which time you can secure the long-term visa. Only a select few people can apply, some of which include investors, entrepreneurs, researchers and frontline workers.
The Golden Visa was implemented in 2019/2020 and gives a wonderful opportunity to those wanting a long-term work or study experience in Dubai. The purpose of the visa is to attract foreign residents to Dubai, to try and counteract the damaging effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.
What Is The Dubai Golden Visa?
The Dubai Golden Visa is a specific type of long-stay visa that allows a person to reside in Dubai for a long time. This visa is available for certain groups of people. The visa is named the ‘Golden Visa’ because it is a golden opportunity. The leading objective of this visa is to allow certain people to live, work or study in Dubai without having a national sponsor.
Another goal of the Golden visa is to encourage the type of people and work to come to Dubai, improve the investment sector, and promote business growth in all fields relevant to Dubai. Foreign residents awarded this visa can live, work or study in Dubai for a prolonged period.
It is a great advantage to receive a self-sponsored visa, as it gives someone more freedom and independence. Golden visa holders do not need employment or another type of sponsor to reside in Dubai. After successful application, the Dubai Golden Visa is valid for up to ten years and is renewable.
The visa has many exclusive benefits. Firstly, it allows foreigners to obtain an entry visa valid for six months, during which the individual can apply for long-term residence documentation. This 6-month entry visa also allows multiple entries.
Another benefit of the Golden visa is that families, regardless of age, would be sponsored by the visa holder in Dubai. This includes immediate family like spouses and children. If the visa holder passes away before their residency in Dubai ends, family members can remain in Dubai until the permit expires.
Besides family sponsorship, the visa also allows sponsoring of domestic helpers. Your domestic helpers, regardless of number, can now accompany you to Dubai and help you through the duration of your residency.
The Golden Visa also allows visa holders to leave Dubai for some time without losing their residency in Dubai. This can be more than six months, if necessary. The usual visas do not allow foreigners to stay outside of the UAE for more than six months at a time. In that case, a residence visa may expire.
Who Can Apply For The Dubai Golden Visa?
Seven main categories of people are eligible for the Golden Visa. These categories clarify that the visa is only for certain people with special conditions or skills. It includes anyone from business owners and investors to exceptional students.
Investors And Entrepreneurs
The first group of people who can apply for the Dubai Golden Visa is international investors that can make real estate investments of a certain amount. There are certain requirements for potential investors.
An investor must be able to buy a property that is not worth less than AED 2 million. If the money is loaned, then it must come from particular banks that are local. Another way an investor can get the Golden visa is to buy off-plan properties approved by local real estate businesses. This must also be properties of no less than AED 2 million.
The second category includes entrepreneurs who either already own a start-up business or have obtained approval for a start-up. The former can be an individually run or partnered start-up registered as a small and medium enterprise in Dubai. The business has to produce no less than AED 1 million per year.
For the latter, approval for entrepreneurs to begin a business in Dubai must come from the Ministry of Economy or other official local authorities. An additional way that entrepreneurs can get the Golden visa is to prove that they started a project sold for no less than AED 7 million.
Extraordinary Talents And Outstanding Students
The third group of people that can apply, which may be more realistic for most people, are people with extraordinary talents in their fields. This can include both people in the digital fields and those in the areas of art and culture.
The Golden visa allows innovators and inventors to reside and work in Dubai. The added benefit of this category is that you can apply regardless of qualification and income status. However, to obtain the visa, you must show a recommendation from your governing body.
The next group of individuals eligible to obtain the Golden visa are students and graduates who have proven outstanding results. Students must come from secondary schools, universities in the UAE, or the top 100 universities in the world.
Professionals, Scientists, And Researchers
Categories five and six eligible for the Golden visa are professionals and scientists or researchers. Professionals are those with high qualifications or a lot of professional experience.
This can be in almost any field, including medicine, engineering, business, education, and social sciences. The conditions include an employment contract in UAE, having a monthly income of at least AED 30 000, having at least a bachelor’s degree, and being approved as either first or second occupational level.
The Emirates Scientists Council must recommend researchers or scientists. You can get a Golden visa if you have at least a master’s degree or have published significant research articles in any scientific field.
Frontline Workers And Humanitarian Pioneers
The last two categories for the Golden visa include frontline workers such as those in the COVID-19 pandemic and humanitarian pioneers. These pioneers can be members of known international organizations or recognized volunteers and sponsors.
How Do You Apply For The Dubai Golden Visa?
To apply for this visa, you must visit the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship website (ICP). Alternatively, you can visit the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs Dubai (GDRFAD) website or go in person to the offices.
It is not too difficult to apply if you have the required documents. These documents will depend on which category you fall into and what type of proof you’ll have to submit. As with most visas, a price is attached to the Dubai Golden Visa.
The specific price depends on where you apply from and the exact visa category you fall into. Foreigners that apply from outside the UAE will be charged around AED 3800 to AED 4800. However, for individuals applying from within the UAE, the cost will range from AED 2800 to AED 3800.
Conclusion
The Dubai Golden Visa is a special visa that allows foreign individuals to work or study in Dubai while living there for at least ten years. These individuals must fulfill some criteria, like being real estate investors, entrepreneurs, exceptional students, or outstanding professionals in scientific or creative fields.