United Arab Emirates has implemented the changes in the visa policy on October 3. Is the new visa policy useful for Pakistanis?
According to semi-official data, around 16 to 17 lac Pakistanis reside in the UAE for employment purposes. New changes in the visa policy are important for Pakistanis.
Under the new visa policy the duration of stay on tourist visas has been extended while longer stays have been provided for skilled persons. Changes have been introduced to the 10-year Golden Visa scheme for entrepreneurs, investors and skilled workers.
Apart from employment, a large number of Pakistani tourists also visit the UAE every year. People traveling to the UAE on a tourist visa will now be able to stay for up to 60 days and will have the option of multiple entry.
But how useful are the new visa policies for Pakistanis? It is important to read what are the features of the new visa policies first.
Green Visa
The United Arab Emirates has announced that the green visa will be granted for a period of five years and it is possible to extend it.
Under this policy, no one needs any kind of sponsorship from the United Arab Emirates, but any individual can prove himself eligible for this visa through his investment, capacity, ability, education and skills. Skilled people, investors, freelancers, highly educated people are eligible to apply for this visa.
Holders of green visa can bring their partner (husband or wife) to stay with them in the UAE. Apart from this, children up to the age of 25 years, close relatives can also benefit from this facility.
However, unmarried daughters and disabled children will be exempted from this. Holders of this visa can also get an extension of six months at the end of the visa and the visa can be renewed for five years. The best thing about this visa is that its holders did not need any sponsorship.
Ten-year Golden Visa
The Golden Visa Scheme was implemented in 2020 to attract the best talent to the UAE. However, now by changing this visa, the duration of the visa granted under the Golden Visa Scheme has been increased to ten years.
The Golden Visa is granted to entrepreneurs, researchers, medical professionals, experts working in science and related fields, investors in the UAE and highly talented students and graduates.
Golden visa holders will enjoy many benefits. Holders of this visa will have 100% ownership of their business. Earlier, the right of those staying outside the country (UAE) for six months was terminated, but this restriction has been removed in the ten-year Golden Visa Scheme. The limit on the number of migrant domestic helpers under this scheme has been removed.
Under the new scheme, Golden Visa holders can sponsor their spouse and children of any age in the UAE. If a golden visa holder dies, his family members can still stay there until the visa expires.
Under the golden visa, skilled people related to science, engineering, medicine, IT, business, administration and education will be allowed to reside in the UAE.
Previously, such professionals were required to earn 50,000 dirhams per month to live there, but now it has been reduced to 30,000 dirhams.
Conclusion:
Although the changes in visa policies have come into effect, it is yet to be seen how far Pakistanis will benefit from it. There is no doubt that there are many opportunities in UAE and Dubai, but the competition there is also quite tough. Many Indian companies have made huge investments which they are also benefiting from. Pakistanis are also present in large numbers, but not many Pakistanis have benefited yet.
Generally, Pakistani investors and business people do not have that much capital, but Indian investors, apart from having more capital, also have more business acumen than Pakistanis, due to which they can get good results by getting Golden Visa.
Youtube Channel Promotions