UAE launches new visa entry system to attract global talent
The UAE Cabinet, presided over by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, approved an integrated entry visa scheme to attract qualified and highly talented professionals to UAE.
Present at the meeting, held at the Presidential Palace were Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior His Highness Lt General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
The implementation of the new system will be carried out over a number of phases.
The first phase includes tourism, health and educational visas. The second phase will include talents acquisition in health, scientific, research, technical and cultural fields.
“The new system aims to attract entrepreneurs, pioneers and talented minds in the medical, scientific, research, IT and intellectual sectors,” Sheikh Mohammed tweeted after the meeting.
Sheikh Mohammed called for establishing specialised committees to prioritise the sectors that will benefit from the talent acquisition visa, and to put forward a plan to attract regional and global exceptional talents.
The newly introduced visa scheme provides additional support to vital sectors in UAE such as tourism, health, and education by strengthening their business areas and promotes global competitive edge.
The project is centred on the re-launch of an entry visa programme by categorising them into various groups with specific limits.
Lifestyle, practical policies for financing, and infrastructure are major advantages to attract talents and multinational companies to operate in UAE.
The Cabinet also approved the accountancy standards guidebook, and the standard financial policies and procedures guidebook for the Federal government based on eligibility suggested by the Ministry of Finance in line with adopting international standards for managing the financial resources of the Federal government, and enhancing transparency through policies alignment and strengthening the efficiency of the financial practices and legislations.
The Cabinet also approved during its meeting a proposal presented by the Ministry of Community Development to issue a legislation with the terms, conditions, and standards of the marriage financial grant so that it would include releasing the marriage grant in one payment as per the law in order to help Emirati citizens bear the marriage expenses.
The law would also raise the maximum amount of the grant from Dh20,000 to Dh25,000.
The law states that certain categories would be exempted from some of the terms and conditions such as people with disabilities, and applicants who are proven to be supporting their families with their salaries because the father is either dead, or incapable to support his family.
In terms of international affairs, the Cabinet approved the establishment of UAE embassies in capitals around the world, and endorsed a number of international agreements in line with the UAE efforts to enhance its international position and support amicable relations with other states around the world.
Lt General Sheikh Saif officially launched the Advanced Ministry of Interior system.
The system was inaugurated during a ceremony at the Emirates Palace hotel in Abu Dhabi, in the presence of the Ministry of Interior’s strategic partners from the public and private sectors, as well as representatives from the tourism, education and health sectors.
The new advanced system strongly reflects the national value of promoting tolerance, goodness and openness to other countries around the world, while serving as a beacon of prosperity.
The system will also keep records of legal violations, as well as breaches to entry regulations and national residence.
The programme will also seek to raise the competitiveness for participating groups, according to professional work regulations, and empower strategic planning by supporting their decision making and providing future forecasts.
The classification mechanism relies on vital information, including paid capital and asset size, as well as the number and size of agreements made through an "advanced detailed form" that will be stored in a comprehensive information database.
Standards for categorisation will also be introduced for granting specific privileges, as defined by the various limits in the entry visas, as well as any violations of rate margins.
The facilities will be categorised by a smart system divided into Platinum, Green, Yellow and Red, as well as grades that average between A+ to E, while the classification mechanism varies according to the sector.
The classification process plays a major role in identifying financial guarantees and puts into consideration a flexible mechanism for re-classification, as well as monitoring and inspections, to ensure accuracy when following procedures and classifications.
The system also identifies potential penalties based on current laws.