All That You Must Know About UAE’s Green Visa

The United Arab Emirates has announced a new visa known as the Green Visa to boost the nation’s economy and reduce its oil dependency. This visa differentiates between residency visas and work permits.   

As of now, the working professionals visa is tied to their employer. It has been the bottleneck for those who seek long-term residency in the country. The announced ‘Green Visa’ cut the ties and nullifies the ‘sponsorship by employer’ clause.

The holders of ‘Green Visa’ will get self-dependent and can work without employer sponsorship.

 Also, they will be able to sponsor their parents and children (up to 25 years old). By opening up this visa, the UAE aims to target highly skilled individuals, investors, entrepreneurs, and students.

Even if the visa holder loses their job, they will have up to 3 months to look for a new job. Earlier it was 30 days after which they had to leave the country.

There is also a humanitarian aspect to the new visa regulation. With this, the divorcees and widows can stay in UAE for 1 year (than just 30 days previously) while they search for a job or work on other means to settle. 

The new rules would give cushion to the nation as COVID hit the Emirates’ revenue. The ‘Green Visa’ is in line with the ‘Gold Visa’ program launched in 2019 to attract wealthy investors and individuals. These approaches emphasize the path of prosperity the nation is aiming to pursue.