DUBAI, 16 November 2020 (TON): The United Arab Emirates on Sunday said that it will extend its “Golden” visa system which grants 10-year residency in the Gulf state to certain professionals, specialised degree-holders and others, the UAE’s vice president said on Sunday.

All holders of doctorate degrees, medical doctors and also computer, electronics, programming, electrical and biotechnology engineers are eligible, UAE Vice President and the ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum said in a statement.

Also eligible are those with specialised degrees in artificial intelligence, big data and epidemiology, as well as high school students living in the UAE who rank top in the country and students from certain universities with a GPA of 3.8 or higher.

After first announcing a long-term visa plan in 2018, the UAE in 2019 started granting  five and ten year renewable visas to certain foreign investors, entrepreneurs, chief executives, scientists and outstanding students.

The Emirate of Dubai would grant visas renewable every five years to wealthy foreign retirees.

The changes will take place from 1 December 2020, onwards.

Foreigners in the UAE usually have renewable visas valid for only a few years tied to employment however, the move will be a great opportunity for investers, professionals and even talented students to benefit from it to pursue their ambitions.