U.A.E.’s Long-Term Visa Plan Excludes Most of Its Residents
- Five- and 10-year visas benefit the wealthy, highly educated
- U.A.E. ties residency to jobs, leading to demographic swings
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The United Arab Emirates’ plan to grant long-term visas to the country’s largely expatriate population excludes most foreign residents, benefiting only the affluent and people with specialized expertise.
The long-awaited program falls short of many people’s expectations after the Arab world’s second-largest economy said it planned to ease residency rules earlier this year. Foreigners make up close to 90 percent of the U.A.E.’s 9.7 million people, and the policy shift was meant to give expatriates a bigger stake in the economy and foster long-term growth.