DUBAI – The authorities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have revised the minimum salary requirements for those interested in getting the sought-after Golden Visa.
As part of the changes, it has been announced that UAE-based professionals seeking the Golden Visa now need to meet a stricter salary requirement.
To qualify for the long-term residency, applicants must have a basic monthly salary of Dh30,000, excluding any allowances.
Immigration experts and residents whose applications were recently denied confirmed the new rule, noting that previously, total compensation packages—including allowances for housing and transport—were considered; however, now, only the basic salary counts.
Nofisatu Mojidi, a senior manager at the Dubai office of immigration services firm Fragomen, confirmed that the salary requirement for the UAE Golden Visa has shifted as previously, the minimum gross salary of Dh30,000 per month could include allowances but now only the basic salary is considered.
This adjustment means that professionals who reach the Dh30,000 threshold through a combination of salary and allowances no longer qualify for the 10-year visa.
Though the ICP has yet to release an official statement on the matter, a customer care agent from the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) confirmed the change.
With the fresh changes in place, applicants with titles like ‘manager’ and ‘director,’ or those in professions such as engineering and medicine, find it easier to meet the criteria, Khaleej Times reported.
It is to be highlighted that in 2022, the UAE expanded the Golden Visa scheme to include skilled professionals in fields such as medicine, science, engineering, information technology, business, law, education, culture, and social sciences.
Experts believe that the fresh change would reduce the number of eligible applicants for the long-term residency that has been awarded by the Emirate to dozens of celebrities from across the world.
What is UAE Golden Visa?
The UAE’s ‘Golden Visa’ is a long-term residence visa that allows foreign talents to live, work or study in the UAE while enjoying exclusive benefits which include:
- An entry visa for six months with multiple entries to proceed with residence issuance
- A long-term, renewable residence visa valid for 5 or 10 years
- The privilege of not needing a sponsor
- The ability to stay outside the UAE for more than the usual period of six months in order to keep their residence visa valid
- The ability to sponsor their family members, including spouses and children regardless of their ages
- The ability to sponsor an unlimited number of domestic helpers
- The permit for family members to stay in the UAE until the end of their permit duration, if the primary holder of the Golden visa passes away.
Many global stars have already taken the Golden Visa. These include Christiano Ronaldo, Giorgio Armani, Pakistani actors Sarah Khan and Falak Shabir, Iqra Aziz Hussain and her husband Yasir Hussain, Kubra Khan, Fakhr e Alam and Peshawar Zalmi owner Javed Afridi.
Salman Khan, Sanjay Dutt, Shah Rukh Khan, Ranveer Singh, and Suniel Shetty from Bollywood have also received UAE Golden Visa besides Sithara Krishnakumar, musician Stephen Devassy, and actor Sudheer Karamana.
