Andi Price, a class teacher in Dubai. Courtesy: Andi Price
Andi Price, a class teacher in Dubai. Courtesy: Andi Price
Andi Price, a class teacher in Dubai. Courtesy: Andi Price
Andi Price, a class teacher in Dubai. Courtesy: Andi Price

What the UAE's new green visa means for teachers


Anam Rizvi
  • English
  • Arabic

Related: UAE targets middle-income earners with long-term visas

The UAE's move to provide five-year visas to middle-income workers will offer greater stability and flexibility for those in the education sector, school staff said.

Green visas will be available to people with bachelors degrees who earn Dh15,000 ($4,084) or more per month as part of sweeping changes to attract new talent to the Emirates and encourage residents to stay longer.

The visa offers five-year residency without the need for an employer to be a sponsor and allows holders to bring first-degree relatives to the country for the duration of their stay.

Graduates in education, social sciences or culture, among other fields, will be able to apply for the green visas, which are part of the broader residency regime that offers at least 10 visa types.

It was approved by the Cabinet last week and comes into effect in September.

It brings teachers, young professionals and ordinary working families into a broader long-term visa strategy originally aimed at high-net-worth individuals through the launch of the golden visa in 2018.

The cost of the visa has not been revealed, but the cost of processing a 10-year golden visa is Dh3,860 through Dubai's General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs.

Andi Price, a private school teacher in Dubai who has lived in the UAE for more than a decade, said it will give teachers an opportunity to put down roots in the country.

"It will give that permanence in investing and buying a house," said Mr Price.

UAE visa changes - in pictures

  • The UAE is offering new types of visa, including options for long-stay tourists, jobseekers, accomplished professionals, star students and high-net-worth individuals. Wam
    The UAE is offering new types of visa, including options for long-stay tourists, jobseekers, accomplished professionals, star students and high-net-worth individuals. Wam
  • A 60-day visit visa for tourists is now standard instead of a 30-day one. Christopher Pike / Bloomberg
    A 60-day visit visa for tourists is now standard instead of a 30-day one. Christopher Pike / Bloomberg
  • The Job Exploration Entry Visa was created to attract young talent and skilled professionals. Photo: Dubai Airports
    The Job Exploration Entry Visa was created to attract young talent and skilled professionals. Photo: Dubai Airports
  • Holders of the Green Visa for Skilled Employees and Freelancers will be able to bring any first-degree relative to live with them. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
    Holders of the Green Visa for Skilled Employees and Freelancers will be able to bring any first-degree relative to live with them. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
  • A five-year multi-entry tourist visa has been introduced. This does not require a sponsor and allows the holder to stay in the country for up to 90 consecutive days, as long as they have $4,000 or its equivalent in their bank account. Christopher Pike / Bloomberg
    A five-year multi-entry tourist visa has been introduced. This does not require a sponsor and allows the holder to stay in the country for up to 90 consecutive days, as long as they have $4,000 or its equivalent in their bank account. Christopher Pike / Bloomberg
  • A Green Residence visa for an investor or partner in a company provides five-year residency. It replaces the previous residence permit, which was valid for two years. Photo: DMCC
    A Green Residence visa for an investor or partner in a company provides five-year residency. It replaces the previous residence permit, which was valid for two years. Photo: DMCC
  • The five-year Green Residence for Skilled Employees visa is to attract experienced professionals, freelancers, investors and entrepreneurs. AFP
    The five-year Green Residence for Skilled Employees visa is to attract experienced professionals, freelancers, investors and entrepreneurs. AFP
  • The 10-year Golden Residence Scheme visa is open to investors, entrepreneurs, scientists and certain other professionals; humanitarians, first responders, and outstanding students and recent graduates. Photo: National Geographic
    The 10-year Golden Residence Scheme visa is open to investors, entrepreneurs, scientists and certain other professionals; humanitarians, first responders, and outstanding students and recent graduates. Photo: National Geographic
  • The Golden Visa for Outstanding Students and Graduates is available to secondary school pupils and undergraduates of exceptional academic ability, as well as outstanding graduates of UAE universities and the best 100 universities worldwide. Pawan Singh / The National
    The Golden Visa for Outstanding Students and Graduates is available to secondary school pupils and undergraduates of exceptional academic ability, as well as outstanding graduates of UAE universities and the best 100 universities worldwide. Pawan Singh / The National

"We would have saved a considerable amount of money had we bought a house 13 years ago.

“Also, I think it would benefit the teachers who tutor at centres. That would be a little more secure for them as they may not have a permanent employer. I think it will be hugely beneficial for them," he said.

"I think most teachers used to think I will stay for a year or two and they end up spending a lot of time in the UAE.

"Although it may not attract new teachers from outside, it will definitely help retain teachers who are in the profession."

Greater security for employees

Talat Goldie, human resources director at Taaleem, one of the UAE's largest school groups, is in favour of recent legislation offering greater security to workers.

She believes the visa changes, coupled with recent updates to labour laws, will benefit employees, offering more scope for workers to explore career opportunities with the protection of longer-term residency.

The amended labour regulations, which were first outlined by the government in November 2021 and came into effect on Feburary 2, provide options that were not available before and strengthen employees' rights.

Talat Goldie, human resources director at Taaleem, one of the UAE's largest school groups. Photo: Supplied
Talat Goldie, human resources director at Taaleem, one of the UAE's largest school groups. Photo: Supplied

One of the major changes under the new rules is that people will be able to live in the country for up to six months after leaving a job, having previously only had a grace period of 30 days.

"A big advantage is that it gives you six months flexibility to stay on in the country even after you lose your job, whether you leave or whether you're terminated by our employer, so that's a huge advantage" she said.

"I think one month is crazy, especially if you've got loans, that is impossible. Then you take on any other job without really thinking it through. This will give a lot of flexibility for sure."

She said Taaleem was awaiting further details on how the green visa will be implemented but confirmed it would continue to pay for the medical insurance of teachers who opted to get the green visa.

Do the majority of teachers in the UAE earn Dh15,000 per month?

On average, teachers in the UAE can expect starting salaries between Dh9,000 and Dh15,000 a month.

In British and US curriculum schools, a typical salary for graduates with up to two years’ experience can be between Dh9,000 and Dh11,000 per month, plus an accommodation allowance.

Headteachers can expect to secure a salary of between Dh25,000 and Dh40,000 a month, with additional benefits of accommodation, an annual flight home and, in some cases, transport.

Salaries of learning assistants range between Dh3,500 and Dh7,500 per month.

Name: Peter Dicce

Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics

Favourite sport: soccer

Favourite team: Bayern Munich

Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer

Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates 

 

How green is the expo nursery?

Some 400,000 shrubs and 13,000 trees in the on-site nursery

An additional 450,000 shrubs and 4,000 trees to be delivered in the months leading up to the expo

Ghaf, date palm, acacia arabica, acacia tortilis, vitex or sage, techoma and the salvadora are just some heat tolerant native plants in the nursery

Approximately 340 species of shrubs and trees selected for diverse landscape

The nursery team works exclusively with organic fertilisers and pesticides

All shrubs and trees supplied by Dubai Municipality

Most sourced from farms, nurseries across the country

Plants and trees are re-potted when they arrive at nursery to give them room to grow

Some mature trees are in open areas or planted within the expo site

Green waste is recycled as compost

Treated sewage effluent supplied by Dubai Municipality is used to meet the majority of the nursery’s irrigation needs

Construction workforce peaked at 40,000 workers

About 65,000 people have signed up to volunteer

Main themes of expo is  ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and three subthemes of opportunity, mobility and sustainability.

Expo 2020 Dubai to open in October 2020 and run for six months

SECRET%20INVASION
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ali%20Selim%20%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Samuel%20L%20Jackson%2C%20Olivia%20Coleman%2C%20Kingsley%20Ben-Adir%2C%20Emilia%20Clarke%20%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
'Downton Abbey: A New Era'

Director: Simon Curtis

 

Cast: Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, Maggie Smith, Michelle Dockery, Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter and Phyllis Logan

 

Rating: 4/5

 

Profile of MoneyFellows

Founder: Ahmed Wadi

Launched: 2016

Employees: 76

Financing stage: Series A ($4 million)

Investors: Partech, Sawari Ventures, 500 Startups, Dubai Angel Investors, Phoenician Fund

Paatal Lok season two

Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy 

Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong

Rating: 4.5/5

Jewel of the Expo 2020

252 projectors installed on Al Wasl dome

13.6km of steel used in the structure that makes it equal in length to 16 Burj Khalifas

550 tonnes of moulded steel were raised last year to cap the dome

724,000 cubic metres is the space it encloses

Stands taller than the leaning tower of Pisa

Steel trellis dome is one of the largest single structures on site

The size of 16 tennis courts and weighs as much as 500 elephants

Al Wasl means connection in Arabic

World’s largest 360-degree projection surface

Studying addiction

This month, Dubai Medical College launched the Middle East’s first master's programme in addiction science.

Together with the Erada Centre for Treatment and Rehabilitation, the college offers a two-year master’s course as well as a one-year diploma in the same subject.

The move was announced earlier this year and is part of a new drive to combat drug abuse and increase the region’s capacity for treating drug addiction.

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.
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20IPHONE%2014
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDisplay%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%C2%A06.1%22%20Super%20Retina%20XDR%20OLED%2C%202532%20x%201170%2C%20460ppi%2C%20HDR%2C%20True%20Tone%2C%20P3%2C%201200%20nits%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EProcessor%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%C2%A0A15%20Bionic%2C%206-core%20CPU%2C%205-core%20GPU%2C%2016-core%20Neural%20Engine%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMemory%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%C2%A06GB%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECapacity%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%C2%A0128%2F256%2F512GB%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPlatform%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%C2%A0iOS%2016%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMain%20camera%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%C2%A0Dual%2012MP%20main%20(f%2F1.5)%20%2B%2012MP%20ultra-wide%20(f%2F2.4)%3B%202x%20optical%2C%205x%20digital%3B%20Photonic%20Engine%2C%20Deep%20Fusion%2C%20Smart%20HDR%204%2C%20Portrait%20Lighting%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMain%20camera%20video%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%C2%A04K%20%40%2024%2F25%2F3060fps%2C%20full-HD%20%40%2025%2F30%2F60fps%2C%20HD%20%40%2030fps%3B%20HD%20slo-mo%20%40%20120%2F240fps%3B%20night%2C%20time%20lapse%2C%20cinematic%2C%20action%20modes%3B%20Dolby%20Vision%2C%204K%20HDR%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFront%20camera%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%C2%A012MP%20TrueDepth%20(f%2F1.9)%2C%20Photonic%20Engine%2C%20Deep%20Fusion%2C%20Smart%20HDR%204%3B%20Animoji%2C%20Memoji%3B%20Portrait%20Lighting%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFront%20camera%20video%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204K%20%40%2024%2F25%2F3060fps%2C%20full-HD%20%40%2025%2F30%2F60fps%2C%20HD%20slo-mo%20%40%20120fps%3B%20night%2C%20time%20lapse%2C%20cinematic%2C%20action%20modes%3B%20Dolby%20Vision%2C%204K%20HDR%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBattery%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%C2%A03279%20mAh%2C%C2%A0up%20to%2020h%20video%2C%2016h%20streaming%20video%2C%2080h%20audio%3B%20fast%20charge%20to%2050%25%20in%2030m%3B%20MagSafe%2C%20Qi%20wireless%20charging%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EConnectivity%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%C2%A0Wi-Fi%2C%20Bluetooth%205.3%2C%20NFC%20(Apple%20Pay)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBiometrics%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Face%20ID%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EI%2FO%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%C2%A0Lightning%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECards%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%C2%A0Dual%20eSIM%20%2F%20eSIM%20%2B%20SIM%20(US%20models%20use%20eSIMs%20only)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EColours%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%C2%A0Blue%2C%20midnight%2C%20purple%2C%20starlight%2C%20Product%20Red%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EIn%20the%20box%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%C2%A0iPhone%2014%2C%20USB-C-to-Lightning%20cable%2C%20one%20Apple%20sticker%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%C2%A0Dh3%2C399%20%2F%20Dh3%2C799%20%2F%20Dh4%2C649%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
THE BIO:

Sabri Razouk, 74

Athlete and fitness trainer 

Married, father of six

Favourite exercise: Bench press

Must-eat weekly meal: Steak with beans, carrots, broccoli, crust and corn

Power drink: A glass of yoghurt

Role model: Any good man

Favourite book: ‘The Art of Learning’ by Josh Waitzkin

Favourite film: Marvel movies

Favourite parkour spot in Dubai: Residence towers in Jumeirah Beach Residence

ESSENTIALS

The flights 
Fly Etihad or Emirates from the UAE to Moscow from 2,763 return per person return including taxes. 
Where to stay 
Trips on the Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian cost from US$16,995 (Dh62,414) per person, based on two sharing.

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 specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz E 300 Cabriolet

Price, base / as tested: Dh275,250 / Dh328,465

Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder

Power: 245hp @ 5,500rpm

Torque: 370Nm @ 1,300rpm

Transmission: Nine-speed automatic

Fuel consumption, combined: 7.0L / 100km

The President's Cake

Director: Hasan Hadi

Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem 

Rating: 4/5

Madrid Open schedule

Men's semi-finals

Novak Djokovic (1) v Dominic Thiem (5) from 6pm

Stefanos Tsitsipas (8) v Rafael Nadal (2) from 11pm

Women's final

Simona Halep (3) v Kiki Bertens (7) from 8.30pm

Updated: April 28, 2022, 7:16 AM