UAE pushes boundaries with new visas

The multiple visa options that the UAE is now giving to citizens of the world to make this country their home.

Yet again, the UAE is showing the world how ahead of the curve it is when it comes to putting in place a futuristic plan. The slew of new visas which the government plans to roll out will establish the emirates’ stature as possibly the most ‘welcoming’ country in the world.

What is remarkable is that as more and more countries and markets continue to get polarised, with many retracting on the ‘world is flat’ theory — where boundaries can be blurred, and humanity can co-exist in peace and tolerance, a kind of a scenario John Lennon imagined in Imagine — the UAE continues to push the boundaries the other way. By welcoming people into its fold, retaining talent, and making the country a microcosm of the global ecosystem. In 2010, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, while unfolding Vision2021, had stated: “We are determined to respond proactively to all challenges in a way that will bequeath to future generations a legacy worthy of the pioneers who founded our great nation, a legacy defined by prosperity, security, stability, and a life filled with dignity and respect.” How prescient he was.

The Expo and the 50th year celebrations may be perceived as reasons taking such big-ticket executive decisions, but the fact of the matter is that it’s actually the fruition of the founding fathers’ vision for the country — one that has only evolved in the right direction with successive regimes of leadership stepping up and making a concerted effort to realise a dream. For long, the UAE has been ‘second home’ to millions. We hear stories of expatriates who have moved back to their home countries or moved ahead to another country, but not being able to let go of their sense of belonging.

The multiple visa options that the UAE is now giving to citizens of the world to make this country their home — a place where they can live and work, and enjoy the highest standards of infrastructure, services and conveniences — is definitely one of a kind. Even before the announcement of the Green Visa and implementation of the Golden Visa, anyone in the world could get a licence to be part of the vibrant community here by availing of, say, a freelance visa or the remote work visa, and subsequently get to “move in” like it is their cherished home. No longer are residents bogged down by doubts and fears that “home” will shut its door as and when their work life gets over — by choice or circumstance.