The emirate of Dubai takes top position in the global residency ranking due to the UAE Golden Visa, which is gaining popularity, with more than 150,000 people having secured it. As stated by the Swiss boutique firm Passport Legacy, the emirate has retained itself as the leading hub for residence by investment (RCBI) for the second year.

According to the report, the UAE has taken the leading position amongst 35 international RCBI specialists in 2022, climbing up from 30 in the previous year. The nation will be able to sustain its growth with the minimum investment required having been recently reduced, and access being opened up to talented individuals across multiple industries.

The benefits of the Golden Visa apply to immediate family members of the holder. Children can be sponsored by a Golden Visa or Green Visa holder until they are 25 years old, which is an increase from the previous rule of 18 years old. There are no age restrictions to sponsor unmarried daughters, while children of determination are granted a residence permit, regardless of their age.

The UAE Golden Visa residency programme was first established in 2019 and allows expats to live, study and work in the country without the need for a national sponsor and with 100% ownership of their business on the UAE’s mainland.

In accordance with the new regulations, the UAE Golden Visa will provide a 10-year residency to investors, exceptional talents, entrepreneurs, scientists and professionals, outstanding students and graduates, who meet certain eligibility requirements

As part of the residency programme expansion, more professionals and highly skilled workers with educational qualifications and professional experience in all disciplines are eligible to apply for a Golden Visa. This includes those working in information technology, medicine, sciences and engineering, education, culture, business and administration, social sciences and law.

The country’s rank as the best RCBI hub in the world, is supported by several attractive factors such as a strategic geographic location, world-class infrastructure, a business-friendly environment, as well as favourable government policies, which promote investment and trade. In addition, the UAE stands as being the first-ranked passport in the world.

The UAE passport is the world’s most powerful travel document. Travelers with a UAE passport can easily enter 180 countries, which is seven more than in European countries such as Germany and Sweden, and nine more than in Japan, whose travel document was recognized as the best in the world earlier this year in a ranking published by Henley & Partners.