DUBAI 24 November 2020: Ten-year Golden Visas were handed over to two orphan Indian girls and their grandparents, by Lieutenant General Abdullah Khalifa Al Marri, Commander-in-Chief of Dubai Police, and Major General Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri, Director General of the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai (GDRFA).
Dubai Police collaborated with GDRFA to issue the golden visas following up the humanitarian situation of the orphan sisters after the death of their parents in a criminal incident. The collaborative efforts led to bringing the orphan sisters along with their grandparents from their home country to the UAE.
Full Scholarship: Dubai Police also announced the award of full scholarships to the orphan girls, provided by the Canadian University Dubai and Repton School Dubai, in addition to providing accommodation for the girls and their grandparents, to ensure they enjoy a stable family environment with their grandparents to enable them to pursue their studies and obtain higher degrees.
Al Marri said: “Granting the two golden visas to the orphan sisters is in line with the humanitarian approach embraced by the UAE’s wise leadership to ensure the happiness of all community segments in the UAE, as a haven of happiness to all community members.”
Al Marri noted that the Dubai Police in collaboration with the GDRFA contributed to drawing a smile on the faces of the girls and their grandparents through this outstanding humanitarian initiative.
He also highlighted keenness of Dubai Police to launch community and humanitarian initiatives in cooperation with its strategic partners to contribute to the happiness of community members.
Major General Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri, Director General of GDRFA, said: “:”This initiative is part of community and human-centered efforts made by GDRFA in collaboration with Dubai Police to exemplify the values of good and giving in the UAE society and entrench our traditions to achieve prosperity and stability for both Emirati citizens and expatriate residents.”
“The GDRFA has facilitated the arrival of the two orphaned girls and granted them and their grandparents golden residency visas to enjoy a decent life within a coherent environment, and alleviate their suffering, especially after the difficult circumstances they are going through as a result of the current crisis,” he added.
The Victims Support Programme worked to follow up and finish all legal procedures related to the case of the girls at the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Dubai, and also get them special permits to facilitate their travel during the COovid-19 precautionary measures and restrictions, in cooperation with the Indian authorities, due to the closure of airports in most countries in the world, in order to enable them to live with their grandparents in India, he explained.
Despite the presence of the two girls in India, Dubai Police was keenly interested in communicating with them where they expressed their desire to fulfil the wish of their parents to live and study in Dubai.
Professor Karim Chelli, Vice Chancellor and President of the Canadian University said: ” We are delighted to be part of this humanitarian initiative and provide one girl a full scholarshiop to study engineering in the college of engineering for four years and bear all the cost of her study that amount to up to Dh300,000.
David Cook, Headmaster of Repton School Dubai, expressed his happiness for partnering with Dubai Police in this noble social role in supporting the girls.
The school will provide the young girl with a full scholarship including tuition, books, supplies and school uniforms throughout all years of schooling, believing in its community role in the UAE society and its humanitarian role in supporting the girl, he said. The scholarship is to be titled ‘Dubai Police Scholarship’.
Cook noted the girl was studying at Repton school, and hence it is the school’s humanitarian duty to stand by her side and offer her all the help and support she needs.
Expanding golden residency quantum leap towards growth
The UAE progressively extending golden residency to more and more categories will accelerate economic growth and productivity in Dubai in addition to enhancing the emirate’s attractiveness as a preferred place to live and work, an analysis done by Dubai Economy shows.
When all stages of granting golden residency to different groups are completed, economic growth rate in Dubai is likely to increase between 0.25 percent and 1 percent, driven largely by domestic demand and investment, according to the analysis done by the Corporate Strategic Affairs sector in Dubai Economy.
The golden residency will also open new markets and horizons in various sectors, including insurance, finance, real estate and university education. By encouraging the study of engineering sciences, technology, software, and medicine, in addition to providing an incentive for employees in Dubai and the UAE to develop their skills and increase their education levels golden residency will have a positive impact on productivity of individuals, particularly fresh graduates, and the economy overall.
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, recently announced adopt major changes in golden residency by expanding the long-term (10-year) residency to include new categories starting from early December 2020, and emphasising the leadership’s vision of creating an attractive work environment that supports economic growth, diversity and sustainability.
New Categories
The new categories include individuals with distinguished skills and experiences, including PhD holders, physicians, engineers in the fields of computer engineering, electronics, programming, electricity and biotechnology as well as graduates from UAE-accredited universities who scored Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.8 and above. The golden visa will also be granted to holders of specialised degrees in artificial intelligence, big data, or epidemiology and virology in addition to the top graduates of UAE high schools along with their families. More categories will be added in the future across various stages.
Mohammed Shael Al Saadi, CEO of the Corporate Strategic Affairs sector in Dubai Economy, remarked that the new amendments to golden residency signifies a strong impetus and a qualitative leap in supporting the process of sustainable development and economic growth in Dubai and the UAE in the short to long term, adding that creativity and talent of the people are the basis of the economic development process.
Al Saadi said: “The changes in the residency system reflect the UAE’s interest in not only attracting creative and talented people, but also in ensuring they remain in the country through providing them with a stimulating environment and increasing family stability. This will have a positive impact on development, especially in promoting investment, including foreign investment.”
Longer Stay, Higher Spend
According to studies, the consumption and investment behaviour of expatriates mainly depends on their expectations of the duration of their stay in the host country. If individuals and their dependents expect to stay for a long time, their spending will increase and cash transfers abroad will decrease, thus boosting local aggregate demand in Dubai and the UAE in general, and stimulating economic growth.
According to the 2019 annual report of the Dubai Health Authority, the number of resident doctors in Dubai reached about 9,120 by the end of last year while the number of resident dentists reached 2,365. Data by the Dubai Statistics Centre’s Labour Force Survey in 2019 indicated that the number of PhD holders in Dubai reached 10,366. Dubai is also home to over 63,000 engineers in the fields of technology, and over 16,000 electrical engineers.
