BY HERMOINE MACURA-NOBLE
SPECIAL TO THE TIMES KUWAIT
Several GCC countries have introduced new immigration measures to help attract skilled foreign workers, according to a report by the Oxford Business Group.
One of the major players is the UAE, which is in the process of launching 50 new projects and initiatives to boost diversification efforts.
The first initiaitve is the green visa, which will be open to highly skilled professionals, as well as investors, entrepreneurs and students. The second is a freelancer’s visa, offered for the first time in the UAE.
The new visa options aim to address an issue that was highlighted by the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Foreign workers are a cornerstone of the UAE economy, making up around 90% of its total population. However, visas have traditionally been pegged to a specific work contract, giving workers a grace period of only 30 days once that contract had expired or been cancelled. This meant that nearly 10% of the population left the country during the height of the pandemic, an exodus which had a significant impact on the broader economy.
By contrast, the green visa allows workers to stay in the country for up to 180 days after losing or leaving a job, giving them time to find another one. Additionally, green visa holders will be able to sponsor their parents and other family members to come and join them.
Meanwhile, the freelancer’s visa is intended to attract younger workers who are more accustomed to flexible, non-traditional approaches to work – approaches that the previous visa regime did not offer.
At the end of 2020 Abu Dhabi launched its own renewable, two-year Freelancer Licence, available to citizens, residents and non-residents alike. This licence is aimed at skilled individuals who have lost their job, but want to stay in the UAE.
Other GCC countries have also taken steps to bring in expert expats – without losing sight of the need to train a new generation of national workers.
In Saudi Arabia, for example, Saudiization efforts have been ramped up, but authorities have also been working to ensure that the Kingdom is seen as an attractive destination for highly skilled foreigners.
“For Saudi Arabia and its neighbours, the adoption of more restrictive or more open visa rules is the result of carefully balancing targets regarding the nationalisation of the workforce, with goals related to attracting foreign talent,” shared Abdulrahman Bin Sulaiman Almohaimid, CEO of Abdal Human Resources.
The government recently introduced a Temporary Work Visit Visa, while its immigration sponsorship system has been modified; among other expat-friendly changes, foreign workers will now be able to move between employers in the private sector.
In Oman a similar change came into effect in January this year, while in May Oman’s Ministry of Labour announced that foreign workers may now enter the country on a visitor visa and later convert it into a work visa.
Oman has also announced a new visa, called the Investment Residency Programme. This will provide five and 10 year renewable residency visas to foreign investors who contribute to key sectors such as tourism, real estate, education, health, and information and technology.
Other GCC countries have taken an opposite approach, curtailing the flexibility of their respective immigration regimes in order to increase employment opportunities for nationals.
In Kuwait, foreign nationals over the age of 60 who do not hold a university degree may no longer renew their residency permits, while an expat’s family members – as well as the foreign wives of Kuwaiti nationals, among others – have seen the length of their renewable residency permits reduced from two years to just one.
This variety of approaches reflects differing visions as to the best way to maintain a balance between creating employment opportunities for nationals and bringing in the best foreign talent.
Economies across the region are stepping up diversification efforts, with the Covid-19 pandemic being only the most recent global crisis to underline the dangers of an over-reliance on hydrocarbons.
Diversification requires a rapid upskilling of local workers, as well as the development of local innovation ecosystems. In parallel, however, foreign expertise is needed in a range of sectors to ensure optimised growth.
The first Australian English speaking News Anchor in the Middle East. She is also the Author of Faces of the Middle East and Founder of US-based 501c3 charity – The House of Rest which helps to ease the suffering of victims of war. For more from our Contributing Editor, you can follow her on Instagram, here.
