According to new amendments to the migration legislation, foreign students in the UAE will be issued a visa for five years.
According to changes in migration legislation, expat students and foreign students in the UAE will be issued a visa for five years. The new five-year visa, which allows students to stay in the country and look for work after graduation, stimulates activity in the UAE labor market.
Expatriates and foreign students will no longer have to leave the country after receiving a diploma. Before innovations, students were forced to renew their visa every year of study.
On the eve, significant changes in migration policy were adopted, including those concerning the status of expatriates' stay and the possibility of being the owner of a legal entity without involving a local partner.
"This step has been brewing for a long time, people were worried about this issue. Many students would like to stay working in this country," said Dr. Warren Fox, head of higher education at the Office of Education and Human Development.
"Previously, a young man who graduated from a university could not stay in the country, provided that he does not work or does not study at a higher educational institution. Now, expatriates born and raised in the UAE will no longer have to look for work in order to stay. Changes in legislation open up new opportunities and lead to the development of human capital, "the official said.
"The adopted innovations are a step forward in the right direction. We already have popular international higher education institutions, and visas have always been a problem for our students. A flexible legislative framework will strengthen our position."
Dr. Fox expects an influx of applicants to UAE universities.
“Students will be very interested in staying in Dubai after graduation. These talented students, new graduates, can make a significant contribution to the country's economy,” says Dr. Fox.
According to available information, students enrolled in a three-year course will still receive a five-year visa.
Students can stay and look for work, open startups, create new jobs. They will get enough time to gain a foothold, much more than a couple of months, as it was before.
