A new visa regime that seeks to improve the lives of foreigners kicked in on October 3 this year in the UAE. The fresh stipulations that had already been approved by the country’s cabinet on April 2022 happen to be a game-changing one in the country’s immigration policy so far.
As a result of the same, tourists can stay longer in the country and highly skilled professionals are expected to get long-term residency. These are only the tip of the iceberg as the changes imply more flexibility and freedom for foreign workers and even tourists. So, let us understand what these new changes imply for job seekers and tourists.
For Job Aspirants
The new job exploration visa and an amendment intended to permit an extended stay for resident expats, whose visas have expired, will help individuals who are not keen to return to their home countries in a big way. A job exploration visa, for example, will immensely benefit the candidates who happen to be in a highly competitive profession as they can make themselves easily available to take up the job on an immediate basis. Basically, this visa is intended to catch the “young talent and skilled professionals”. Even fresh graduates from the globally-renowned 500 universities have been included in this category. The elimination of the provision that mandates the requirement of a sponsor to obtain a visa is also a good initiative to attract young individuals to the UAE for job prospects.
For Tourists
The new visa reforms will also give a huge fillip to tourism in the country. As the new regulations come into effect, the tourist inflow will also multiply in a big way. According to the new rules, tourist visas from now onwards will permit visitors to enter and stay in the UAE for 60 days legally, a good extension from the previous 30 days. This apart, a five-year, flexible multi-entry tourist visa was also unveiled that allowed people to be in the UAE for up to 90 days in a row.
The Crux Of The Matter
With the new flexible and expanded visa initiatives, the government aims to bring in more highly skilled people to live in the Emirates to create a huge “knowledge economy”. The country, primarily, eyes scientists, coders and tech workers apart from significant population growth in the Emirates. Also, with the new changes, the UAE seeks to leave behind the Covid setbacks and turn over a new leaf quickly. And permitting foreigners to increase their stay in the Emirates easily accomplishes the aforesaid objective.
