Visa allows for professionals to double-down on their long-term commitments to the UAE, and the country in turn will reap the economic, social and related benefits that come with this engagement
Joe Hepworth, director, OCO Middle East, and founder of the British Centres for Business (BCB).
In true UAE style, I received the notification that I’d been awarded a Golden Visa via WhatsApp.
After explaining what it meant to my daughters, with lots of references to Willie Wonka and Charlie Bucket, I allowed the news to settle in. As I’ve seen other recipients comment, it really is the ultimate expat on the back: A great endorsement and validation for all I’ve done in my adopted home since arriving here in 2008. I couldn’t be more proud.
Now that I’ve completed the paperwork to get the actual visa in my passport (rather disappointingly, it looks just like a standard visa – no gilt at all!) I’m writing this safe in the knowledge that my family and I have full rights to remain here until 2031 and beyond.
And, as someone who works in economic development and FDI promotion, I’ve also been reflecting on being the personal beneficiary of the sort of scheme that we advise our clients on and recommend as being a vital part of the toolbox that a country should deploy in the ever more competitive global landscape for talent, investors, skills and capital.
So, getting down to the basics: Will this compel me to invest here? Yes. Unequivocally, yes.
I’m not about to go out and buy an apartment on this news, but that’s really not the aim here. Rather, it provides for a long-term view and stability that allows me to plan for my professional future and also that of my family here in the UAE, and that is very much the point. I’m committed. And therefore invested.
I have started a business here and my wife has done the same; we’ve had our family here. We already have serious UAE roots. Knowing we can now stay in Dubai, come what may, really changes the whole mindset that we’ve previously been conditioned to. That familiar expat conversation – “What’s your plan….When will you leave?” – still comes up and whilst we might have been ambivalent before, we’re now very much in the nailed-on long-term camp, and very happily so.
Thinking further about this as a tool for investment attraction I’m also conscious of some mild schadenfreude on my part, wanting the club to remain exclusive. However, for this to really have an impact on inward investment, it needs to be more widely accessible, and therefore the open door for doctors, coders and other key professions is welcome. And, as of earlier this month, the new Green Visa would seem to be consistent, positive and complementary too.
The UAE’s Golden Visa scheme isn’t a gimmick. It’s a smart initiative to attract and retain expatriate talent from around the world and it’s an honour to be part of these ranks. It allows for professionals to double-down on their long-term commitments to the UAE, and the country in turn will reap the economic, social and related benefits that come with this engagement.
Now, if only they could make the visa itself a bit more bling…
Joe Hepworth, director, OCO Middle East, and founder of the British Centres for Business (BCB).
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By Joe Hepworth
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Why the UAE’s Golden Visa scheme is no gimmick
Visa allows for professionals to double-down on their long-term commitments to the UAE, and the country in turn will reap the economic, social and related benefits that come with this engagement
Joe Hepworth, director, OCO Middle East, and founder of the British Centres for Business (BCB).
In true UAE style, I received the notification that I’d been awarded a Golden Visa via WhatsApp.
After explaining what it meant to my daughters, with lots of references to Willie Wonka and Charlie Bucket, I allowed the news to settle in. As I’ve seen other recipients comment, it really is the ultimate expat on the back: A great endorsement and validation for all I’ve done in my adopted home since arriving here in 2008. I couldn’t be more proud.
Now that I’ve completed the paperwork to get the actual visa in my passport (rather disappointingly, it looks just like a standard visa – no gilt at all!) I’m writing this safe in the knowledge that my family and I have full rights to remain here until 2031 and beyond.
And, as someone who works in economic development and FDI promotion, I’ve also been reflecting on being the personal beneficiary of the sort of scheme that we advise our clients on and recommend as being a vital part of the toolbox that a country should deploy in the ever more competitive global landscape for talent, investors, skills and capital.
So, getting down to the basics: Will this compel me to invest here? Yes. Unequivocally, yes.
I’m not about to go out and buy an apartment on this news, but that’s really not the aim here. Rather, it provides for a long-term view and stability that allows me to plan for my professional future and also that of my family here in the UAE, and that is very much the point. I’m committed. And therefore invested.
I have started a business here and my wife has done the same; we’ve had our family here. We already have serious UAE roots. Knowing we can now stay in Dubai, come what may, really changes the whole mindset that we’ve previously been conditioned to. That familiar expat conversation – “What’s your plan….When will you leave?” – still comes up and whilst we might have been ambivalent before, we’re now very much in the nailed-on long-term camp, and very happily so.
Thinking further about this as a tool for investment attraction I’m also conscious of some mild schadenfreude on my part, wanting the club to remain exclusive. However, for this to really have an impact on inward investment, it needs to be more widely accessible, and therefore the open door for doctors, coders and other key professions is welcome. And, as of earlier this month, the new Green Visa would seem to be consistent, positive and complementary too.
The UAE’s Golden Visa scheme isn’t a gimmick. It’s a smart initiative to attract and retain expatriate talent from around the world and it’s an honour to be part of these ranks. It allows for professionals to double-down on their long-term commitments to the UAE, and the country in turn will reap the economic, social and related benefits that come with this engagement.
Now, if only they could make the visa itself a bit more bling…
Joe Hepworth, director, OCO Middle East, and founder of the British Centres for Business (BCB).
Follow us on
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