Dubai on Monday announced a new online system to enable residents to complete visa renewals in minutes, in support of a nationwide drive to boost government service efficiency.
The "Salama” platform – overseen by the emirate's General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs – automatically recognises user details once they are logged in, displays the status of dependents’ visas and even highlights the remaining days until expiration, authorities said. The programme harnesses artificial intelligence to speed up the visa renewal process, cutting down on waiting times and paperwork.
Users can choose the duration for renewal and have their requests processed immediately. The platform also offers services such as cancelling a dependent’s visa and addressing general inquiries related to visas and residency.
It features an integrated payment feature, removing the need for people to navigate multiple digital platforms or visit service centres. No further details on when the scheme will go live and how residents can access the platform were disclosed. People renewing visas are still required to undergo medical screening beforehand, but the Salama platform aims to reduce wait times for renewal when the examination has been conducted.
“We believe that digital transformation is not merely an upgrade of services, but a redefinition of user experience,” said Maj Gen Mohamed Ahmed Al Marri, director general of the GDRFA. “This enhances government performance and achieves our leadership’s vision of providing services that are easier and smoother.”
Col Khalid Al Falsi, assistant director general for digital services at the authority, said the scheme represented a step forward in the government's efforts to use advanced technology to make services more efficient.
“It relies on advanced algorithms to understand user needs and respond with precision and speed,” he said. “The platform offers a tailored experience that boosts operational efficiency and provides proactive services reflective of the future of smart government.”
In January this year, the department announced plans to introduce a single platform to manage residency procedures for government, semi-government and free zone entities.
Cutting the red tape
In June, the UAE expanded a government strategy to cut processing times for residency visas and work permits from up to 30 days to five. The scheme – first introduced in Dubai in April before being rolled out nationally – aims to allow companies to hire staff more quickly and easily.
The Work Bundle platform is part of a wider effort to address government bureaucracy. It aims to simplify the processes involved in securing residency and work permits.
“The initial launch of the Work Bundle platform witnessed a strong response from companies,” said Khalil Khoori, undersecretary for Human Resources Affairs at the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, at the time. He said the move would benefit more than 600,000 businesses employing more than seven million staff.
“Procedures that took 20 to 30 days can now be completed within five days through the new platform," he said. “The platform allows companies to submit requests and upload fewer documents. Before this service, multiple documents had to be submitted to different departments. Now, all necessary information is accessible through a single platform.”
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
The biog
Born: Kuwait in 1986
Family: She is the youngest of seven siblings
Time in the UAE: 10 years
Hobbies: audiobooks and fitness: she works out every day, enjoying kickboxing and basketball
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
Mountain%20Boy
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Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
West Asia Premiership
Dubai Hurricanes 58-10 Dubai Knights Eagles
Dubai Tigers 5-39 Bahrain
Jebel Ali Dragons 16-56 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
What is Reform?
Reform is a right-wing, populist party led by Nigel Farage, a former MEP who won a seat in the House of Commons last year at his eighth attempt and a prominent figure in the campaign for the UK to leave the European Union.
It was founded in 2018 and originally called the Brexit Party.
Many of its members previously belonged to UKIP or the mainstream Conservatives.
After Brexit took place, the party focused on the reformation of British democracy.
Former Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson became its first MP after defecting in March 2024.
The party gained support from Elon Musk, and had hoped the tech billionaire would make a £100m donation. However, Mr Musk changed his mind and called for Mr Farage to step down as leader in a row involving the US tycoon's support for far-right figurehead Tommy Robinson who is in prison for contempt of court.
A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Roll%20of%20Honour%2C%20men%E2%80%99s%20domestic%20rugby%20season
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Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5