Nawal Al Ashram, a former teacher and principal, at her home in Umm Al Quwain. Satish Kumar / The National
Nawal Al Ashram, a former teacher and principal, at her home in Umm Al Quwain. Satish Kumar / The National
Nawal Al Ashram, a former teacher and principal, at her home in Umm Al Quwain. Satish Kumar / The National
Nawal Al Ashram, a former teacher and principal, at her home in Umm Al Quwain. Satish Kumar / The National

Five-year retirement visa a salvation for those facing an uncertain future in UAE


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Non-Emirati residents in the UAE have welcomed a government initiative that allows them to stay in the country after retirement.

Before the change, retirement meant it was time to leave the UAE, which left many thinking they could not really consider the country as their home.

But the five-year retirement visa changes that, allowing thousands of residents from Palestine, Yemen, Jordan and beyond the chance to settle long-term.

“This new ruling is a salvation for people like me who believe leaving the UAE just isn’t an option because it’s home,” said Palestinian Nawal Al Ashram, 78, who has Jordanian citizenship.

“I’ve been here since I was 23 and even when I used to go back to my home country, I felt like a stranger. I’ve only ever felt that I belonged when I was back in the UAE.”

Details of the visa scheme for the retired were announced this month after a Cabinet meeting chaired by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai.

Under the initiative, any foreign national aged 55 or over will be allowed to remain in the country if they meet prerequisites.

Nawal Al Ashram at her home in Umm Al Quwain. Satish Kumar / The National
Nawal Al Ashram at her home in Umm Al Quwain. Satish Kumar / The National

Conditions include the person owning property in the UAE worth Dh2 million, having financial savings of more than Dh1m, or proof of income of more than Dh20,000 a month. Applications will be allowed from early next year.

UAE residents have welcomed the move, saying it would help to alter the perception of the UAE being just a temporary career move rather than a country to call home.

People and families who moved here from less stable countries expressed gratitude for no longer having to consider returning to conflict zones or countries with struggling economies.

Mrs Al Ashram first worked in the country as a teacher and then as a principal. She met her late husband in Umm Al Quwain and the couple married and built a life together.

In 2000, when Mrs Al Ashram retired, she faced a predicament as to where she should move.

The Royal Family in Umm Al Quwain came to her assistance, temporarily sponsoring her for a residency visa in appreciation of her work as one of the first teachers in the country.

After her husband’s death, Mrs Al Ashram decided to apply for an investor visa as a means of remaining in the country, opening a barber shop to ensure that she qualified.

“It would have been very difficult for me to start a new life in another country,” she said, adding that she considered the government’s initiative as honouring “senior citizens and their contributions”.

For Ahmad Ibraheem, from Gaza, the five-year retirement visa has also proved a lifeline.

_________

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_________

Mr Ibraheem, 58, holds a Palestinian Authority Travel Document, the occupied territory’s equivalent of a passport, and was considering moving to Turkey for his retirement.

But now, because of the legislation change, he wants to remain in the UAE. The idea of returning to Gaza had not been one he welcomed.

“The visa plan came just in time to set things in place and put my mind at peace,” Mr Ibraheem said. “It lifted a great burden off my shoulders.

“In the past few years, many of my friends, mostly from Gaza, have bought homes and moved to Turkey after retirement.

“But I’m sure that had this decision been passed before they left, they wouldn’t have gone. They’d have remained here and bought homes here.”

Egyptian Khaled Mohammed, 58, has lived in the Emirates for more than 40 years. The professional photographer commended the initiative but said he still fell short of the financial criteria.

“I don’t have savings or own a property to obtain a retirement visa,” he said. “Before I got all my family here, I was sending my money to pay for their expenses back home.

“The decision is great for many but its requirements are quite hard for me to meet, especially at this stage of my life.”

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UAE SQUAD

 

Goalkeepers: Ali Khaseif, Fahad Al Dhanhani, Mohammed Al Shamsi, Adel Al Hosani

Defenders: Bandar Al Ahbabi, Shaheen Abdulrahman, Walid Abbas, Mahmoud Khamis, Mohammed Barghash, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Hassan Al Mahrami, Yousef Jaber, Mohammed Al Attas

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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WOMAN AND CHILD

Director: Saeed Roustaee

Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi

Rating: 4/5

hall of shame

SUNDERLAND 2002-03

No one has ended a Premier League season quite like Sunderland. They lost each of their final 15 games, taking no points after January. They ended up with 19 in total, sacking managers Peter Reid and Howard Wilkinson and losing 3-1 to Charlton when they scored three own goals in eight minutes.

SUNDERLAND 2005-06

Until Derby came along, Sunderland’s total of 15 points was the Premier League’s record low. They made it until May and their final home game before winning at the Stadium of Light while they lost a joint record 29 of their 38 league games.

HUDDERSFIELD 2018-19

Joined Derby as the only team to be relegated in March. No striker scored until January, while only two players got more assists than goalkeeper Jonas Lossl. The mid-season appointment Jan Siewert was to end his time as Huddersfield manager with a 5.3 per cent win rate.

ASTON VILLA 2015-16

Perhaps the most inexplicably bad season, considering they signed Idrissa Gueye and Adama Traore and still only got 17 points. Villa won their first league game, but none of the next 19. They ended an abominable campaign by taking one point from the last 39 available.

FULHAM 2018-19

Terrible in different ways. Fulham’s total of 26 points is not among the lowest ever but they contrived to get relegated after spending over £100 million (Dh457m) in the transfer market. Much of it went on defenders but they only kept two clean sheets in their first 33 games.

LA LIGA: Sporting Gijon, 13 points in 1997-98.

BUNDESLIGA: Tasmania Berlin, 10 points in 1965-66

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7.40pm: Maiden Dh 165,000 1,400m.
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Winner: Stunned, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.

8.50pm: Handicap (85-105) Dh 210,000 2,000m.
Winner: New Trails, Connor Beasley, Ahmad bin Harmash.

9.25pm: Handicap (75-95) Dh 190,000 1,600m.
Winner: Pillar Of Society, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.

MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg

Barcelona v Liverpool, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE).

Second leg

Liverpool v Barcelona, Tuesday, May 7, 11pm

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MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

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The biog

Age: 32

Qualifications: Diploma in engineering from TSI Technical Institute, bachelor’s degree in accounting from Dubai’s Al Ghurair University, master’s degree in human resources from Abu Dhabi University, currently third years PHD in strategy of human resources.

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3 JuneProvincial BarbariansWon 13-7

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10 JuneCrusadersWon 12-3

13 JuneHighlandersLost 23-22

17 JuneMaori All BlacksWon 32-10

20 JuneChiefsWon 34-6

24 JuneNew ZealandLost 30-15

27 JuneHurricanes

1 JulyNew Zealand

8 JulyNew Zealand

Low turnout
Two months before the first round on April 10, the appetite of voters for the election is low.

Mathieu Gallard, account manager with Ipsos, which conducted the most recent poll, said current forecasts suggested only two-thirds were "very likely" to vote in the first round, compared with a 78 per cent turnout in the 2017 presidential elections.

"It depends on how interesting the campaign is on their main concerns," he told The National. "Just now, it's hard to say who, between Macron and the candidates of the right, would be most affected by a low turnout."