UAE: Marriage Grants Regulations Under Review

Emaratalyoum, 16 May 2024: A parliamentary report, recently endorsed by the Federal National Council, has proposed that the Community Development Ministry conduct a thorough and contemporary governmental study.

The aim is to reassess the maximum salary cap for citizens seeking a marriage grant, currently set at 25,000 dirhams after accounting for housing and pension allowances, if applicable.

The report has emphasised that the requirement of linking marriage grants to a citizen’s income level or salary ceiling restricts eligibility to individuals without higher academic degrees.

It fails to benefit those with higher academic qualifications and positions.

The report, prepared by the Council’s Social Affairs, Labour, Population, and Human Resources Committee, has highlighted the key requirements for obtaining a marriage grant.

These include citizenship for both the beneficiary and their spouse, as well as the inability to afford marriage expenses, targeting individuals with limited income or those benefiting from social assistance.

However, the report underscores that this condition narrows the scope of citizens eligible for marriage grants, as it excludes many young individuals in need of such support, despite not falling under the definition of “people with limited income” or beneficiaries of social assistance. For the full story, click here.

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UAE: New Air Travel Protocols

Khaleej Times, 14 May 2024: The UAE aviation authority has introduced a new protocol to combat the spread of communicable diseases during air travel.

This protocol aims to facilitate swift reporting by operators’ stations and promote collaboration with local health authorities.

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UAE: New Regulations for Food Establishments

Emaratalyoum, 7 May 2024: The Climate Change and Environment Ministry intends to launch regulations on food and facilities within the country, early next year in 2025.

The Ministry has confirmed its collaboration with the National Food Safety Committee to explore the issue of new legislation in this area.

It aims to unify and strengthen control over food products and regulate their circulation in the country, as well as to support emerging food industries.

For the full story, click here.

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UAE: Green Residency Visa Regulations

Emaratalyoum, 30 April 2024: The UAE Digital Government has announced that the country will offer a green residency visa to investors engaged in local commercial activities.

The green residency is for investors or partners in commercial activities, lasting five years without a guarantor and subject to renewal.

It replaces the previous two-year investor’s residency with simpler requirements and more benefits.

The requirements for a green residency visa for investors include obtaining investment approval, proof of investment/partnership value, meeting the prescribed percentage of total capital invested, approval from local authorities, and a license to practice the activity.

The green residency includes three categories: for skilled workers, self-employment, and investors or partners in commercial activities.

For the full story, click here.

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UAE: President Orders Study of Infrastructure After Heavy Rains

Khaleej Times, 17 April 2024: The president of the UAE has stated that the safety of citizens and residents is the country’s top priority and ordered a study of the country’s infrastructure.

The president has also directed that support be given to all families affected by the severe weather conditions, and ordered the transfer of the affected to safe locations in cooperation with local authorities.

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UAE: Volunteering Leads to a Golden Visa

Khaleej Times, 14 April 2024: Volunteering in the UAE offers benefits, such as eligibility for a UAE Golden Visa, granting a 10-year residency permit.

There are a number of platforms which provide access to volunteering opportunities. These include Volunteers.ae which connects volunteers with organizations nationwide. Registration is open to individuals, teams, or companies. Users can also search for opportunities by category, organisation, or location, and see required volunteers and eligibility criteria.

Another site includes the UAE Red Crescent Authority, which is part of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and is found athttps://www.emiratesrc.ae/. Opportunities include charity, humanitarian aid, sponsorships, donations, and Sukuk Al Khair. Volunteers can also access training courses and support initiatives like Ataya.

The National Volunteer Program for Emergencies, Crisis, and Disasters, has also launched by the National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority (NCEMA). It aims to train volunteers to respond during crises. Details on programme participation and course registration can be found athttps://www.ncema.gov.ae/en/home.aspx.

In addition, the Dubai Volunteering Centre is a government body, which oversees volunteering in the UAE and focuses on Dubai. Volunteering opportunities can be found at https://www.cda.gov.ae/DubaiVolunteer/. Individuals or companies can register to volunteer with them.

The Sharjah Volunteering Centre is the largest volunteer network in Sharjah. it is possible to registration with it at https://sssd-volunteer.shj.ae/register. They offer programme and workshops to train volunteers and list opportunities across Sharjah, searchable by city and institution.

Dubai cares is a civil society organisation which if formally affiliated to the United Nations Department of Global Communications. It is possible to sponsor or volunteer for initiatives with them. Details such as country, partner, and date of each of their programmes are available at: https://www.dubaicares.ae/.

The Authority of Social Contribution (Ma’an) in Abu Dhabi promotes a volunteering community via their website https://maan.gov.ae/en/ . Through Ma’an, volunteer groups and organisations can contribute via donations, volunteering, and corporate social responsibility initiatives. The platform facilitates volunteer applications based on individual goals and allows organisations to recruit volunteers.

Volunteering at events often earns you volunteering hours and can even lead to applying for a Golden Visa if you’re a pioneer in humanitarian work.

In order to be eligible for a Golden Visa as a result of volunteering it is necessary to meet the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs, and Port Security (ICP) criteria. This includes having worked for at least five years in international or regional organisations, or have been an distinguished worker there.; having been a member of a public benefit associations or institutions for at least five years, or having been a distinguished worker in one of these bodies; having received an award for recognition from a local, regional, or international institutions which focuses on humanitarian work; having been a distinguished volunteer in humanitarian work for at least five years or having completed 500 volunteer hours; or having supported humanitarian work financially with at least 2 million AED or the equivalent in another currency.

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UAE: Investor Rule Change

Gulf News (United Arab Emirates), 2 April 2024: The UAE’s Securities and Commodities Authority has approved a rule change which will mean UAE-based individual investors cannot directly subscribe to foreign funds through their bank accounts in the country.

The rule change came into force on 1 April 2024. It is believed the rule change only applies to subscriptions made after 1 April.

According to industry sources, all existing investment commitments can continue.

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UAE: Golden Business Licences

Gulf News (United Arab Emirates), 27 March 2024: The UAE’s Economic Integration Committee has discussed a proposal to introduce long-term business licences.

Golden business licences could be valid for 10 years.

The Committee also discussed a proposal to introduce silver business licences.

These would be valid for five years.

The licences would be introduced to support revenue growth, encourage business continuity and help business activities grow economically and prosper in alignment with the We are the UAE 2031 vision.

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UAE: Mandatory Health Insurance

Khaleej Times, 21 March 2024: A new mandatory health insurance scheme is to be required from 1 January 2025 in the UAE.

Under the scheme all employers in the UAE will be required to provide and pay for the insurance of their employees. This will also include employers of domestic workers. Employers will have to pay for the health insurance coverage of their employees when applying for or renewing residency visas. The scheme clarifies the position for employees who are on their husband or father’s visa.

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