The General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) and the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship and Port (ICP) recently announced clarification to the documentation required for the submission of Golden Visa applications under the ‘Highly Skilled Professional’ category. The GDRFA and ICP now require all eligible applicants to submit their ‘Equivalency Certificate’ alongside their legalised degree certificate. Failure to do so could lead to applications being refused. Therefore, it is crucial for applicants to familiarise themselves with this new requirement and ensure they submit their ‘Equivalency Certificate’ as a supplementary document to their Golden Visa applications.
Effective immediately, it is mandatory for all eligible applicants who fall under the category of ‘Highly Skilled Professional’ to submit their ‘Equivalency Certificate’ from the Ministry of Education (MoE) in the UAE, as an additional documentation to their Golden Visa application. This requirement applies to all eligible applicants regardless of their nationality or the type of educational certificate they have obtained. In addition, eligible applicants must continue to follow the original procedure of legalising their educational certificate at the UAE embassy in the country of where their educational certificate was issued. Subsequently, they should also proceed to legalise their educational certificate at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) in the UAE and obtain the ‘Equivalency Certificate’ from the MoE.
Applicants who have successfully completed their Bachelor’s or Master’s degree at an education institution within the UAE are eligible for an exemption from this new requirement. To benefit from this exemption, eligible applicants must ensure their Bachelor’s or Master’s degree certificate has been legalised at the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) and MoFA respectively.
The process to equalise a legalised degree certificate may take several months to complete. It is crucial for applicants to strategies and plan ahead to factor in the increase in overall processing times as a result of the equalisation process In some cases, it may also be necessary to legalise additional documents such as transcripts and high school certificates, in addition to the degree itself.. As a result, companies may need to renew their employees’ Employment Residence Permits (ERP) and work authorisation, if the Golden Visa application processing time surpasses the expiry date of their ERP. The individual can then subsequently file their Golden Visa application once the equalisation process is complete.
We understand the importance of meticulous and strategic planning for Golden Visa applications under the ‘Highly Skilled Professional’ route. Our Immigration team can assist you and your employees navigate the Golden Visa requirements and assist with the entire end to end application process, including the legalisation and equalisation steps which are mandatory. We can help to assess your current workforce, and determine which employees are eligible for a Golden Visa and when the application process should commence, factoring in the equalisation timelines. Planning ahead can also serve to minimise a company’s need to renew ERPs (to maintain the employee’s residency and work authorisation), where there is a sufficient period of time remaining on the validity of those ERPs, to be able to complete the Golden Visa process prior to the ERP expiry dates.
For a deeper discussion on the above, please reach out to your Vialto Partners point of contact, or alternatively:
Anir Chatterji
EMEA Immigration Partner
Rekha Simpson
Director, Middle East Immigration
Umme Salma
Senior Manager
Nasrine Abdi
Manager, Middle East Immigration
Further information on Vialto Partners can be found on our website: www.vialtopartners.com
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Contact us on the following address: me-immigration@vialto.com
Vialto Partners (“Vialto”) refers to wholly owned subsidiaries of CD&R Galaxy UK OpCo Limited as well as the other members of the Vialto Partners global network. The information contained in this document is for general guidance on matters of interest only. Vialto is not responsible for any errors or omissions, or for the results obtained from the use of this information. All information is provided “as is”, with no guarantee of completeness, accuracy, timeliness or of the results obtained from the use of this information, and without warranty of any kind, express or implied, including, but not limited to warranties of performance, merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. In no event will Vialto, its related entities, or the agents or employees thereof be liable to you or anyone else for any decision made or action taken in reliance on the information in this document or for any consequential, special or similar damages, even if advised of the possibility of such damages.
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Further information on Vialto Partners can be found here: www.vialtopartners.com
Vialto Partners (“Vialto”) refers to wholly owned subsidiaries of CD&R Galaxy UK OpCo Limited as well as the other members of the Vialto Partners global network. The information contained in this document is for general guidance on matters of interest only. Vialto is not responsible for any errors or omissions, or for the results obtained from the use of this information. All information is provided “as is”, with no guarantee of completeness, accuracy, timeliness or of the results obtained from the use of this information, and without warranty of any kind, express or implied, including, but not limited to warranties of performance, merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. In no event will Vialto, its related entities, or the agents or employees thereof be liable to you or anyone else for any decision made or action taken in reliance on the information in this document or for any consequential, special or similar damages, even if advised of the possibility of such damages.
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