Graduate students from the world’s top 100 universities will be eligible to apply for long-term residency visas in the UAE, according to new government measures announced in an effort to attract international talent.
On April 18, the cabinet announced changes to the country’s visa system, including a significant overhaul of the country’s golden residence system, which allows foreigners to live and work in the UAE for up to ten years without sponsorship.
The government has increased the number of people who are eligible for these long-term visas and will also allow golden visa holders to sponsor family members to join them in the country, with changes expected to take effect later this year. According to a statement issued by Emirates News Agency, the new system is intended to “attract and retain global talents and skilled workers” while also “boosting the competitiveness” of the UAE’s job market.
The country has indicated its commitment to attracting talent by instituting a special golden visa for outstanding graduates from the world’s top 100 universities. When considering applications from this group, it will consider additional criteria such as academic performance, graduation year, and university classification.
The rating system was created by the UAE’s education departments in collaboration with the QS world ranking system, and it takes into account factors such as teaching, research, and career opportunities.
“The UAE’s visa program highlights that university rankings are an important part of the toolkit in understanding comparative university performance in a global context,” said Leigh Kamolins, director of analytics and evaluation at QS.
“In addition, it highlights the importance that governments and employers are placing on reputable, quality education for enabling career mobility and driving knowledge economies.”
Golden visas are also available to high-achieving students in UAE schools and “outstanding” graduates from UAE universities. According to Husseini, recent changes to the country’s visa system represent a “shift from immigration that was based on a sponsorship model to a self-sponsored model.”
The UAE government announced its Centennial 2071 vision at the end of last year, which includes the creation of a “diversified knowledge economy” through investments in science and entrepreneurship.
“The recent changes that the UAE government has introduced have definitely been welcomed with quite a lot of open arms,” said Abeer Husseini, partner at immigration law firm Fragomen.
Husseini believes that the new visa system will help to achieve this goal by providing “flexibility for that pool of talent to be more accessible in the UAE and the region.”
The announcement comes as countries around the world compete for graduates, with the United Kingdom announcing a new “highly selective” visa scheme based on university rankings that will begin at the end of May. In addition, Kamolins stated that QS spends “a lot of time helping people understand how best to interpret and, where appropriate, use our data responsibly and would welcome the opportunity to do so in cases like this.”
Last week, Canada announced a temporary extension of post-graduate work visas in an effort to address labour shortages, while Finland has begun offering residence permits to international students’ families.
“There’s a lot of other factors that make the UAE attractive,” said Husseini, “whether it’s the high quality standard of living, the security it provides, the modern infrastructure. But having a long-term residency is definitely the cherry on top.”
Legal Disclaimer: This article is provided for information purposes only.
Read all the Latest News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Add comment