Jobs: New UAE visa system to make hiring easier for startups

The new UAE visa reforms will make recruiting professionals easier for entrepreneurs, startups, and small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

According to startups and technology industry executives, the changes will make the UAE more attractive for short as well as long-term residents, visitors and professionals.

The UAE on Monday announced the most extensive set of reforms and updates to its entry and residency schemes.

Mohammed Kilany, founder and CEO of Fanera, believes the reforms will be especially significant for entrepreneurs in the country for whom the benefits are two-fold.

“First, this will make it possible for startups and SMEs to more easily recruit professionals from abroad, which will expand the pool of talent. And second, by providing incentives for investors to relocate to the UAE, this new ruling will strengthen the country’s investment segment, increasing the potential for startups to successfully fundraise,” he said.

Rabih El Chaar, CEO of Nadeera, a company using digital technologies to help communities in the GCC recycle, said Golden Visa and freelance visas greatly benefit entrepreneurs. “As a tech startup, our backbone is freelancers, and in many areas of support, we can’t afford to have full-time staff. The freelancer visa is a novel way to attract such freelancers to be based in the UAE.”

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Ryaan Sharif, general manager, Flat6Labs, said the new forms give entrepreneurs all the incentives to launch businesses that can go on to make valuable contributions to the economy of the UAE as well as the wider Middle East. Obviously, there is still more to be done; however, as one of the region’s leading accelerators, every change to proactively assist entrepreneurs in moving to the UAE and putting down roots here helps us attract the top talent globally,” he said.

Sid Bhatia, regional vice-president and general manager for the Middle East and Turkey at Dataiku, said by introducing Golden Visas for exceptional talents and entrepreneurs, the UAE should see an influx of skilled professionals that can further the country’s ambitious vision for artificial intelligence and other new-age technologies.

-waheedabbas@khaleejtimes.com

• UAE