Latest: New visa rules predicted to create a flood of jobseekers in the UAE
New rules governing the ways people work and live in the UAE come into effect today, Monday October 3.
Approved by the Cabinet in April, this is one of the biggest shake-ups to the country’s immigration policy in years.
Longer visit visas for tourists, long-term residency for sought-after professionals and easy access to the 10-year Golden Visa scheme were among the headline changes.
But what does this all mean, and does any of it affect or benefit you? Here The National breaks down the changes.
Is the Golden Visa changing?
Golden Visa services have a dedicated portal here, on the federal immigration website. Abu Dhabi’s service can be found here.
No costs have yet been released, but some require a deposit of between Dh1,500 and Dh2,000.
What happened?
The Cabinet approved the “executive regulations” of the Federal Decree-Law on Entry and Residence of Foreigners.
This put into motion the creation of new visas and formally approved others, such as the Golden Visa residency system, that had already been rolled out.
Many of the details were made public over the previous 18 months but the new elements include a 60-day entry visa for many tourists and allowing parents to continue to sponsor disabled children when they reach adulthood.
Who are the new visa rules aimed at?
Golden visas
The country’s leaders want to attract more skilled professionals, those with medicine and science backgrounds, the brightest students and tech-savvy minds to live in the Emirates.
Wealthy investors, entrepreneurs and company owners are sought after. Officials hope they will set down roots, invest in property and make the country their long-term home.
The wide range of 10 visa types may benefit many residents and people planning to make the country home.
There are several visa types that are aimed at these groups, including Golden Visas, which were first approved in late 2020. In the first year, 44,000 visas were issued in Dubai alone.
“The golden visa for an ownership of Dh2 million on real estate will definitely be a major boost for middle and higher segments to invest in the UAE through real estate or other sources," said Vijay Valecha, chief investment officer of Century Financial Consultancy.
Green visas
In the middle-income bracket are green visas, which are aimed at skilled workers, freelancers and the self-employed. These grant the holder five years’ residency.
To be eligible, an applicant requires a monthly salary of Dh15,000 and a bachelor's degree in certain skilled fields, including science, law, education, culture or social sciences, among others.
Someone who currently holds a two or three-year trade licence for freelance work may find this option attractive, but the costs have not yet been set out.
A green visa holder can sponsor relatives for residency for five years. Previously, this was typically allowed for two years.
Jobseekers
There is no specific provision for lower-income and lower-skilled workers to secure special visas. But jobseeker and five-year multi-entry visas may benefit people who wish to move to the Emirates, or join family here.
In particular, this could benefit people from countries that require paid-for visas in advance of flying, such as India, Pakistan, Philippines and Bangladesh. Officials did not say how long a jobseeker visa was valid for, but previously said six months when it was mooted before the pandemic.
Primarily, it is aimed at “young talent and skilled professionals”. Recent graduates from the world’s top 500 universities are included in this category.
“The abolishment of needing a sponsor or host for a visit visa is a big step to prompt young individuals to come to the UAE for job opportunities,” Mr Valecha said.
Family sponsorship
Last year, authorities allowed parents to sponsor their male children until they were 25 instead of 18.
The decision in April appears to affirm that and to add new provisions, allowing parents with a disabled child to sponsor them into adulthood. Parents can continue to sponsor unmarried daughters at any age.
Why are these changes being made?
The government hopes to attract more highly skilled people to live in the Emirates and build a bigger “knowledge economy”.
Scientists, coders and tech workers and just some of the professionals it hopes to attract.
Population growth is also high on the agenda.
Dubai alone wants to boost its 3.5 million residents to 5.8 million by 2040.
The country further wants to rapidly bounce back from the Covid pandemic, welcoming back millions more tourists. Allowing people to stay more easily for longer aids all of these goals.
Does any of this affect me?
If you are a salaried employee working for a company you are likely to stay on a regular two and three-year visa.
Employees may find they are eligible to secure a Golden Visa, particularly if nominated by a friend or acquaintance with that visa. Their status with their employer would not be affected and health insurance would continue to be provided as standard.
Who is eligible for a Golden Visa?
There is no exhaustive list of every job category.
You can apply here on the website of the Federal Authority for Identity using your Emirates ID and see if you are eligible.
Or you can be nominated directly by someone you know who already has a Golden Visa.
The list of eligible professionals and qualifications includes people in science, technology, arts, culture and the creative industries. People investing Dh1 million to Dh2 million in property also have several options.
Who pays for a visa?
Most of the new visas on the list are aimed at freelancers, self-employed people and business owners, who would foot the bill for their own visa or arrange through their own company.
Golden Visas have already processed payments in the hundreds or low thousands of dirhams.
It’s important to note that by law a regular employee working for a company cannot be made to pay for a basic residency visa.
‘Many roles take months to secure’
Louise Vine, managing director at Inspire Selection recruitment agency in Dubai, earlier this year said the recruitment process for professional roles, and particular senior roles, can take months.
“It gives people a purpose to come here and it helps the government understand they are on a mission to find a job, rather than being here as a tourist,” she said.
The duration, which has not yet been announced, will be important.
Depending on the level of the role, recruitment can take anything from a few weeks to several months, she said.
“You would need potentially three to six months to find a senior role in certain industries,” Ms Vine said.
“There are fewer jobs and also the interview process is quite lengthy, so it’s not just one interview and job done. It could be four or five interviews and case studies to prepare for, so it takes time.”
PROFILE
Name: Enhance Fitness
Year started: 2018
Based: UAE
Employees: 200
Amount raised: $3m
Investors: Global Ventures and angel investors
The specs: 2018 Mercedes-AMG C63 S Cabriolet
Price, base: Dh429,090
Engine 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission Seven-speed automatic
Power 510hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque 700Nm @ 1,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 9.2L / 100km
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
The specs: 2019 Mini Cooper
Price, base: Dh141,740 (three-door) / Dh165,900 (five-door)
Engine: 1.5-litre four-cylinder (Cooper) / 2.0-litre four-cylinder (Cooper S)
Power: 136hp @ 4,500rpm (Cooper) / 192hp @ 5,000rpm (Cooper S)
Torque: 220Nm @ 1,480rpm (Cooper) / 280Nm @ 1,350rpm (Cooper S)
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 4.8L to 5.4L / 100km
FIXTURES
All games 6pm UAE on Sunday:
Arsenal v Watford
Burnley v Brighton
Chelsea v Wolves
Crystal Palace v Tottenham
Everton v Bournemouth
Leicester v Man United
Man City v Norwich
Newcastle v Liverpool
Southampton v Sheffield United
West Ham v Aston Villa
FROM%20THE%20ASHES
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Khalid%20Fahad%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Shaima%20Al%20Tayeb%2C%20Wafa%20Muhamad%2C%20Hamss%20Bandar%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE Falcons
Carly Lewis (captain), Emily Fensome, Kelly Loy, Isabel Affley, Jessica Cronin, Jemma Eley, Jenna Guy, Kate Lewis, Megan Polley, Charlie Preston, Becki Quigley and Sophie Siffre. Deb Jones and Lucia Sdao – coach and assistant coach.
ENGLAND SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Jack Butland, Jordan Pickford, Nick Pope
Defenders: John Stones, Harry Maguire, Phil Jones, Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier, Gary Cahill, Ashley Young, Danny Rose, Trent Alexander-Arnold
Midfielders: Eric Dier, Jordan Henderson, Dele Alli, Jesse Lingard, Raheem Sterling, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Fabian Delph
Forwards: Harry Kane, Jamie Vardy, Marcus Rashford, Danny Welbeck
About Proto21
Date started: May 2018
Founder: Pir Arkam
Based: Dubai
Sector: Additive manufacturing (aka, 3D printing)
Staff: 18
Funding: Invested, supported and partnered by Joseph Group
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Belong%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Michael%20Askew%20and%20Matthew%20Gaziano%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Technology%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETotal%20funding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%243.5%20million%20from%20crowd%20funding%20and%20angel%20investors%3Cstrong%3E%3Cbr%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2012%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Will the pound fall to parity with the dollar?
The idea of pound parity now seems less far-fetched as the risk grows that Britain may split away from the European Union without a deal.
Rupert Harrison, a fund manager at BlackRock, sees the risk of it falling to trade level with the dollar on a no-deal Brexit. The view echoes Morgan Stanley’s recent forecast that the currency can plunge toward $1 (Dh3.67) on such an outcome. That isn’t the majority view yet – a Bloomberg survey this month estimated the pound will slide to $1.10 should the UK exit the bloc without an agreement.
New Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly said that Britain will leave the EU on the October 31 deadline with or without an agreement, fuelling concern the nation is headed for a disorderly departure and fanning pessimism toward the pound. Sterling has fallen more than 7 per cent in the past three months, the worst performance among major developed-market currencies.
“The pound is at a much lower level now but I still think a no-deal exit would lead to significant volatility and we could be testing parity on a really bad outcome,” said Mr Harrison, who manages more than $10 billion in assets at BlackRock. “We will see this game of chicken continue through August and that’s likely negative for sterling,” he said about the deadlocked Brexit talks.
The pound fell 0.8 per cent to $1.2033 on Friday, its weakest closing level since the 1980s, after a report on the second quarter showed the UK economy shrank for the first time in six years. The data means it is likely the Bank of England will cut interest rates, according to Mizuho Bank.
The BOE said in November that the currency could fall even below $1 in an analysis on possible worst-case Brexit scenarios. Options-based calculations showed around a 6.4 per cent chance of pound-dollar parity in the next one year, markedly higher than 0.2 per cent in early March when prospects of a no-deal outcome were seemingly off the table.
Bloomberg
Teachers' pay - what you need to know
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
if you go
The flights
Air Astana flies direct from Dubai to Almaty from Dh2,440 per person return, and to Astana (via Almaty) from Dh2,930 return, both including taxes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Ritz-Carlton Almaty cost from Dh1,944 per night including taxes; and in Astana the new Ritz-Carlton Astana (www.marriott) costs from Dh1,325; alternatively, the new St Regis Astana costs from Dh1,458 per night including taxes.
When to visit
March-May and September-November
Visas
Citizens of many countries, including the UAE do not need a visa to enter Kazakhstan for up to 30 days. Contact the nearest Kazakhstan embassy or consulate.
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
How does ToTok work?
The calling app is available to download on Google Play and Apple App Store
To successfully install ToTok, users are asked to enter their phone number and then create a nickname.
The app then gives users the option add their existing phone contacts, allowing them to immediately contact people also using the application by video or voice call or via message.
Users can also invite other contacts to download ToTok to allow them to make contact through the app.
Porsche Macan T: The Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 265hp from 5,000-6,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm from 1,800-4,500rpm
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch auto
Speed: 0-100kph in 6.2sec
Top speed: 232kph
Fuel consumption: 10.7L/100km
On sale: May or June
Price: From Dh259,900
