UAE’s new Citizenship Policy

January 30, 2021

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has announced its new citizenship policy. The government has planned to offer citizenship to a select group of foreigners. The UAE has thus become the first Gulf Arab nation that formalized the process of giving expatriates a bigger stake in the economy.

Aim of the policy

The new citizenship policy has been announced with the aim of attracting the talent to the UAE in order to boost the growth. The country is considering longer residency and limited citizenship for foreigners because it seeks to attract the investment and diversify from oil.

Background

UAE earlier used to give citizenship in the UAE to some foreigners in special cases. They were given citizenship for providing service to the state.

Foreign Residents in UAE

The Foreign residents accounts for more than 80% of the total population od UAE. The residents are thus the mainstay of UAE’s economy since decades.

Who can be given citizenship?

The government has formulated following conditions to provide citizenship:

Investors should own a property in the UAE.
They are required to obtain one or more patents approved by the UAE Ministry of Economy or any other reputable international body.
Doctors and specialists should be specialised in a unique scientific discipline or the scientific principles that are highly required in the UAE.
Scientists should be an active researcher in a university or research center. They should have practical experience of at least 10 years in the same field.
Individuals with creative talents like intellectuals and artists should be pioneers in the culture and art fields. They should be a winner of one or more international award.