The new residency visa offers a range of benefits…

A total of 50 new projects are being revealed for the UAE this week, in line with the 50th anniversary of the UAE’s unification, which aim to ‘set out a new era of prosperity and development’.

The latest step in making the UAE even more attractive to expatriates, is a new ‘Green Visa’, announced on Sunday September 5. The visa will allow residents to sponsor their parents, as well as children under the age of 25 (regular visas sponsor children up to 18).

These residency visas will be granted to high achievers, investors, businesspeople, exceptional students and experts. Once the visa expires, instead of the usual 30 days to renew, holders will have between 90 and 180 days to apply for their new visa.

New freelance visas have also been announced which, along with the green visas, are set to make residency in the UAE more flexible, as most residency visas are currently tied to employer sponsorship.

The news comes almost one year after HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, revealed the coveted Golden Visa. This 10-year visa has been awarded to experts in a number of industries including doctors, engineers in the fields of computer engineering, electronics, programming, electricity and biotechnology.

We’re not yet sure on the full details of how residents will be able to apply for the new green or freelance visas, but further announcements are expected in the coming weeks.

Image: Getty