First Non-Nationality-Based Pathway to Citizenship Announced

The situation

The Cabinet of the United Arab Emirates has announced that select categories of foreign nationals will be soon be eligible to obtain Emirati citizenship. It is not yet clear when the law will go into effect.

A closer look

The below table outlines the categories of foreign nationals who are expected to be eligible for the citizenship program, as well as the expected eligibility requirements for each category:

CATEGORIES	GENERAL ELIGIBILITY CONDITIONS
Creative Talents (e.g., artists)	Pioneers in cultural or artistic fields Must have won one or more international award Must secure a recommendation letter from the relevant government entities in the United Arab Emirates
Doctors and Specialists	Must specialize in a unique, scientific discipline that is greatly needed in the United Arab Emirates Must be able to document their scientific contributions, studies and research of a scientific value Must be a member of a reputable organization in their field of specialization Must have at least 10 years of practical experience in their field
Inventors	Must have obtained at least one patent approved by the United Arab Emirates’ Ministry of Economy or by any other reputable international agency Must have a recommendation letter from the United Arab Emirates’ Ministry of Economy
Investors	Must own property in the United Arab Emirates
Scientists	Must be active researchers in a university or research center or a similar organization in the private sector Must have practical experience of at least 10 years in their field of expertise Must be able to document their scientific contributions e.g., by winning a prestigious award or securing substantial funding for their research in the past 10 years Must obtain a recommendation letter from a recognized scientific institution in the United Arab Emirates

 

Other information

• Process for obtaining citizenship. It is expected that eligible foreign nationals will receive a nomination from the government, based on recommendations from the Rulers and Crown Princes’ Courts, Executive Councils and the Cabinet. Foreign nationals will be required to swear to an oath and commit to abiding by the country’s laws.
• Dependent eligibility. It is expected that legal opposite-sex spouses and children of individuals who acquire Emirati nationality will also be eligible to obtain citizenship.

 

Impact

Foreign nationals who obtain citizenship are expected to benefit from various privileges and rights that are currently reserved for Emiratis, including preferential bank loans, access to social programs, and potentially unrestricted access to property ownership, among other benefits. However, citizenship can be revoked upon a breach of conditions, which have not yet been described.

Background

• Current restrictions. Currently, the United Arab Emirates has a very strict nationality law which only grants Emirati citizenship in narrow circumstances based on birthplace and ancestry or marriage.
• Nationality laws in the Middle East. The United Arab Emirates’ current narrowly-tailored nationality law is commonplace in the Middle East as many of the countries in the region have generous welfare programs which grant benefits to permanent residents and citizens.
• Oil prices affecting permanent residence and citizenship laws. As a result of countries in the region seeking to diversify their economies away from the oil and gas industry, many countries, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar, have implemented permanent residence programs to attract highly-skilled and wealthy foreign nationals to their countries.

 

Looking ahead

Foreign nationals may be particularly interested in obtaining citizenship during the COVID-19 pandemic, since entry restrictions often only allow permanent residents and/or citizens to enter the country. This could provide an important pathway to entry to the United Arab Emirates that is currently unavailable, especially considering that the United Arab Emirates, like many countries, has and will likely continue to exempt its own citizens from certain entry and health requirements.

Further details of the new law are expected to be released in the coming weeks. Fragomen will provide updates as soon as they are available.

This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen or send an email to [email protected].