A new UAE visa has been added to the roster – the ‘green visa’.

Under a new scheme entitled ‘Projects of the 50’ – a series of new initiatives to expand the UAE’s development and expansion – the new visa scheme was announced.

The new ‘green visa’ was unveiled by Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, the Minister of State for Foreign Trade for the UAE, and would be available to investors, entrepreneurs, highly skilled individuals, top students and graduates.

So, what exactly does the green visa mean for those individuals? Well, in short, the green visa will allow its recipients to effectively sponsor themselves.

The visa will also enable its holders to sponsor their parents and children under the age of 25. In addition, the green visa will also offer the holder an extended grace period of 90 to 180 days if cancelled due to job loss or retirement.

READ: The celebrities who have been granted the UAE golden visa

Alongside the announcement of the green visa, Al Zeyoudi confirmed there would be another freelance visa set to launch. The federal freelance visa will be self-employed workers based in the UAE and overseas in specialised fields such as artificial intelligence, blockchain and digital currencies.

As well as these two new visas, additions will be made to the requirements for the UAE’s golden visa which was unveiled in 2019. The eligibility for the highly sought after visa has been extended to include managers, CEOs, specialists in science, engineering, health, education, business management and technology.

Under the golden visa scheme recipients are allowed to live in the UAE for a period of up to 10 years and the visa is renewable every decade.

Per the UAE government, the announcements of the new visas “have been introduced to enhance the competitiveness and flexibility of the UAE labour market, facilitate sector growth, spur knowledge transfer and skills development, and create greater stability and security for residents”.

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