Dubai: How To Apply For A Golden Visa As A Student Process Explained

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Published: Sat 27 Apr 2024, 6:46 PM

Last updated: Sat 27 Apr 2024, 9:49 PM

Are you a student that graduated recently? Looking to sponsor your own visa on the basis of your academics? The Golden Visa issued by UAE is a long-term, renewable residence visa that enables you to stay in the country for a duration of 5 or 10 years, depending on the application category.

Students or graduates who excel in academics can apply to avail this visa. Khaleej Times spoke to an Amer employee to outline the application process for applicants in the UAE.

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Applicants must apply for the Golden visa within the same emirate where their current visa was issued.

University graduates

Outstanding graduates of universities in the UAE

According to the UAE's government portal, students of universities in the UAE may be granted a Golden visa for a period of 10 years, if:

• It has not been more than 2 years since graduation

• The university must be rated either A or B class by Ministry of Education

• A recommendation letter from the university or an accredited graduation certificate or an accredited academic record stating that the student's cumulative GPA (CGPA) is no less than 3.5 for class A universities and no less than 3.8 for class B universities is submitted.

Outstanding graduates of foreign universities

According to the UAE's government portal, students in foreign universities may be granted a Golden visa for a period of 10 years, if:

• Graduation certificate is accredited by the Ministry of Education

• It has not been more than 2 years since graduation

• The university is rated among the best 100 universities global according to the rating system recognized by Ministry of Education

• The student's cumulative GPA is not less than 3.5

High school students are eligible for a Golden Visa of 5 years, if:

• The student is a national-level topper (with a minimum grade of 95 per cent in public or private secondary school)

• A recommendation letter from Ministry of Education (Emirates Schools Establishment) is submitted.

The Golden Visa is for a duration of 5 years, but may be extended if the student is enrolled in one of the majors or colleges in the country that requires a study period of more than 5 years.

To know the university's classification, the applicant can access the university website, or contact their admin department.

Speaking to Khaleej Times, a Technical Support Specialist at Amer247 messaging platform said:

However, for applications through Amer, the classification is "specifically contingent upon the governing authority under which the educational institution" is based.

This classification can significantly influence the documents required.

The support specialist added: "Notably, for outstanding university students under KHDA, the school must liaise with KHDA for certificate attestation, followed by MOFA attestation, and the issuance of an equivalency certificate to conform with the mandatory Ministerial grading system, typically graded out of 4 or 5."

Students can expect a faster process if they first receive ICP nomination approval and then visit an Amer centre. According to the Amer agent, the application process can indeed be "expedited and made more efficient" if the student obtains a UAE ICP nomination approval prior to visiting Amer, or utilises the GDRFA platform.

The agent said that the GPA threshold is set at 3.8 to "facilitate a seamless application process." However, certain universities in the UAE are categorized by ICP as exempt from the 3.8 benchmark.

Graduates from these universities can apply for the Golden visa with a GPA of 3.5 if they secure a nomination from ICP, he added.

To apply for a Golden Visa in Dubai, visit icp