Golden Visa For Students
Did you know that your studies in the UK could make you eligible for a non-resident permit (Tier One) for the rest of your life? The Tier One visa is also known as the “golden visa” and is valid for life. This means that when you obtain this document, you can go anywhere in the world without asking for permission from the British government. To be clear, a student visa will let you enter and exit the UK whenever it suits you – but it doesn’t grant you any sort of legal status to stay there in the long term.One of the golden visas to be issued in 2015 is the golden visa for students. Student visas have received less public attention than investor visas, even being overlooked by the student media. However golden visas for students will become one of the most common types of golden visa as more governments use them to attract foreign students to their countries.
Golden Visa For Students
Student visas are extremely difficult to obtain for people from outside the European Union. I’d be surprised if you’re a student in your twenties and not interested in travelling and working at least part-time in cities such as London, Madrid, Milan or Paris after you graduate. But this won’t be convenient unless you hold a work visa. And even then you will be constrained to engage in certain kinds of employment and pass certain tests that often make it extremely difficult for students to secure the right kind of visa.
By Anup Oommen
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How will the Golden Visa rules impact students, families, and the business of education in the UAE?
Danielle Butterworth, the executive director for Finance and Administration at UOWD, delves into the monetary, academic, and business benefits of the updated Golden Visa rules
Academic institutions, students, families, as well as the business and state of education will improve considerably following the recent set of sweeping amendments made to long-term visa policies in the UAE, an expert told Arabian Business.
Under the new executive regulations, the UAE Golden Visa programme will grant 10-year residency to high-performing students in UAE secondary schools, and outstanding graduates from UAE universities, as well as students from the best 100 universities worldwide who meet specific elibility criteria.
The criteria includes submitting proof of cumulative average of their academic performance, the year of graduation, and the university classification.
“The new visa regime approved by the UAE Cabinet assures incredible flexibility to its beneficiaries. The updated visa structure enables educational institutions to shift the cost of securing visas for education away from the student and his/her family,” explained Danielle Butterworth (below), the executive director for Finance and Administration at the University of Wollongong in Dubai (UOWD).
“Such government initiatives not only positively impact the business of education here in the UAE, but also enhance the state of education in the country, attracting more foreign students than ever, and reaffirming the UAE’s pioneering role as an international education and knowledge hub.”
The positive policy reforms will further enable educational to facilitate uninterrupted education preventing students and their families from the hassle of re-applying or purchasing an alternative visa type.
Butterworth added: “The UAE Golden Visa expanded scheme will also incentivise students in UAE secondary schools and universities to aim for high performance. This will further fuel student interest and intake across universities, allowing educational institutions to attract and retain exceptional talent.”
Future unicorns born and bred in the UAE will trace their roots back to the Golden Visa: expert
The UAE Cabinet has also approved a special entry permit for those attending training and academic courses and/or participating in internship programmes.
The sponsor can be universities or educational or research institutions licensed in the country or government or private entities.
“Universities form the crux of UAE’s academic landscape and any policy reforms that impact entry and retention for students across universities, also increase the flexibility of the education market.
“The updated rules contribute to a more accessible academic environment. The visa overhaul places students and academics at the fore, building effectively on the competitiveness of the UAE as a pioneer in education,” Butterworth concluded.
The UAE’s visa program highlights that university rankings are an important part of the toolkit in understanding comparative university performance in a global context,” said Leigh Kamolins, director of analytics and evaluation at QS.
“In addition, it highlights the importance that governments and employers are placing on reputable, quality education for enabling career mobility and driving knowledge economies.”
High-performing students at UAE schools and “outstanding” graduates from UAE universities are also eligible to apply for golden visas.
“The recent changes that the UAE government has introduced have definitely been welcomed with quite a lot of open arms,” said Abeer Husseini, partner at immigration law firm Fragomen.
Husseini said that the changes to the country’s visa system over recent years mark a “shift from immigration that was based on a sponsorship model to a self-sponsored model”.
At the end of last year, the UAE government announced its Centennial 2071 vision, which focuses in part on the creation of a “diversified knowledge economy” through investments in science and entrepreneurship.
Husseini believes that the new visa system will contribute to that goal, creating “flexibility for that pool of talent to be more accessible in the UAE and in the region”.