The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is one of the most sought-after nations in the Gulf region in terms of comfort, quality of life, and economic development. The nation has experienced unmatched growth over the last decade and has been a magnet for numerous people seeking better opportunities in terms of jobs and quality of life.
Despite this, it is not easy to immigrate to the UAE. The UAE is strictly regulated and it is not likely for all to achieve long-term residency. Fortunately, healthcare professionals have an easier route to move to the UAE thanks to the government’s dedication to expand the country’s healthcare sector. In this article by Dxboffplan we will discuss the process of immigration for doctors and nurses and all that is needed for obtaining a golden visa for healthcare professionals.
As we have discussed thoroughly in our Mastering the Path to a 10 Year Dubai Visa, the UAE Golden Visa allows eligible individuals to reside and work in the UAE, and follow their profession for up to 10 years. This visa allows professionals to continue their job and personal aspirations free from the uncertainty of periodic visa extensions. The UAE Golden Visa is issued to five important groups of citizens:
Qualified applicants are given a 5- or 10-year permission to live in the UAE and they are met with exclusive benefits like simplified visa renewals and long-term stay. The applicants can renew their Golden Visa after 10 years if they still comply with UAE laws and regulations.
In the following sections, we’ll outline the exact requirements for healthcare professionals applying for a UAE Golden Visa.
The UAE has realized the importance of healthcare practitioners. The country has introduced various incentives to welcome the best doctors, nurses, and healthcare workers. Here are the principal reasons why UAE is the most preferred destination for healthcare professionals:
In the year 2020 itself, the government of the UAE spent 5 billion AED to improve healthcare infrastructure, healthcare services and hospitals. The modern range of UAE healthcare facilities are the ideal place to achieve professional development, career growth, networking opportunities, and up-gradation of skills. Furthermore, one of the most interesting aspects about the UAE Golden Visa is that it doesn’t stop at the doctors and medical specialists, but also covers their dependents. If the applicant gets the visa, his or her dependents immediately benefit with long-term residency in the UAE and all the perks that go with staying in the country. This would include having the opportunity to go to the best international universities and schools, the best international hospitals and medical facilities, and more job security and social stability.
The UAE Golden Visa is the best choice for healthcare workers targeted at long-term stability and professional growth. With the eligibility criteria, the healthcare workers will enjoy secure and lucrative futures in one of the world’s most rapidly growing healthcare systems.
The medical professionals should fulfill the following conditions to be eligible for the Dubai Golden Visa:
The UAE government is welcoming to well-trained medical professionals and unlike the procedure of getting a Dubai work permit, applicants are greeted with an easy visa renewal process to ensure continuous residency. Although, the UAE does not currently have permanent residency or citizenship. That being said, if one has legal residency and is compliant with UAE law, one is free to keep extending the visa repeatedly and live within the country.
The three-stage process of healthcare professionals moving to the UAE and Dubai includes:
This phase, which is also known as Dataflow, is the submission of your academic certificates and qualifications to the UAE Ministry of Health to examine and check the authenticity of the documents. The authorities will check the validity and genuineness of the documents. This step consumes about 2 to 3 months on average, after which you will be allowed to work and practice in the UAE.
The Prometric is a mandatory exam that is the key for physicians to enter the UAE and practice their profession.The exam consists of 100 English language multiple-choice questions, and whoever is interested in the position has to achieve a minimum of 60% passing grade. Here are a couple of things you need to know about the exam:
Identification Requirement: You will need to present the required identification (e.g., national ID or passport) on the day of the exam.
The final step is to attend a personal interview at the UAE Ministry of Interior. Viva is the name of the interview and is conducted in the English language. As mentioned above, the applicants should have at least English language skills equivalent to IELTS 5.5. After completing all the three rounds, you will receive job offers via mail, and you can choose the most suitable one that best aligns with your qualification and career goals.
The experience demanded of doctors and nurses is determined on the basis of specialization. Candidates would normally need one to five years of experience in the profession. A detailed breakdown of the specific experience needed to qualify to apply to each specialty is given in the application brochure.
Unfortunately, the Prometric test is not held in Iran. Therefore, Iranian applicants have to travel to neighboring countries such as Turkey, Armenia, or other nations to take the test.
Furthermore, medical professionals need to acquire a Professional Qualification License.
This is the certificate that establishes the applicant’s scientific, discipline, ethical, physical and mental fitness and is issued by the Medical Council.
To apply for the UAE Golden Visa, the following documents should be provided by healthcare professionals:
These licenses you receive from UAE Ministry of Health vary depending on the emirate where the medical professional intends to practice:
The UAE Smart Card, also called the Emirates ID, is given to each doctor and other healthcare professionals that move to the UAE to practice. The card is used to gain access to various government services. To apply for the card, you will initially apply for residency and then apply to the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship (ICA). You can also register on the ICA website but then you need to make the application at the identity center to give fingerprints and take photos. Doctors employed with an Emirati employer generally arrange to have the application completed through the Human Resources department of the particular hospital. They usually take ten days to issue the Emirates ID. You will use the electronic citizenship identifier to access UAE government services in the interim.
The total cost of obtaining the UAE Golden Visa for doctors depends on several factors. They include:
While the Prometric exam costs around $560, other fees include the Dataflow verification process, which can range from $200 to $500 depending on the country of issuance. The visa application fees depend on the validity, typically starting at $1,000 for a five-year visa.
Other potential fees include:
While some of these fees can be paid by employers, individual applicants must also account for some of them.
Because unemployment is lower in the UAE, meeting with certain prerequisites will lead the way to easily achieving the best healthcare career. Here’s a closer look:
The salary per month in the UAE is, on average, 19,600 AED, that is about 150 million IRR. They pay doctors much more with the average monthly pay being 47,100 AED. As the medical professional specialization and experience improves, the pay goes up to as much as 80,000 AED per month.
The UAE is not so affected by the conventional Arab society due to its international tourism sites that promote socialization among expatriates. Here are some of the advantages of living in the UAE for medical professionals by getting a UAE golden visa:
To track the status of your UAE Golden Visa application, you can use the following methods:
The review process for a UAE Golden Visa application typically takes around 30 days. If your application receives initial approval, you will receive an email with further instructions on the next steps.
As we demonstrated, the United Arab Emirates has truly created a safe, convenient, and very attractive place for investors and professionals from all over the world. With its higher benefits and unmatched incentives, the UAE has become the most favorable place to live and develop professional and personal life.
Since the good opportunities of the country and the UAE Golden Visa’s special benefits to professional workers such as doctors and nurses make it worth moving there, the potential immigrants should carefully observe every step in this guide by Dxboffplan. The UAE Golden Visa offers long-term stability, allowing medical professionals to follow their aspirations without the stress of frequent visa renewals and settling in the country as their second home. If you are ready to take the first step toward a rewarding life in the UAE, we would be delighted to assist you with an extensive range of housing options. Make sure to contact us if you have any questions about property prices in Dubai or inquiries about the visa process.
Healthcare professionals must complete three main steps: First, they must verify their educational credentials by undergoing the Dataflow process, where their qualification is attested and approved by the UAE Ministry of Health. Second, they must pass the Prometric exam, a 100-question multiple-choice test with a passing score of 60%. Third, they must sit for the Viva interview, an English language proficiency exam. After that, employment contracts are offered to successful applicants.
Yes, both doctors and nurses are eligible to apply for the UAE Golden Visa. That is only if they possess the professional experience that is required from them and all the qualifications. Upon the required tests and offers of employment, the doctors and the nurses need to first acquire the Eligibility Letter from the Dubai Health Authority so that they may acquire employment while searching for the most appropriate position.
One can verify the UAE Golden Visa status of the applicant in many ways. If the applicant is living in Dubai, then on the ICA website ica.gov.ae or the GDRFA website gdrfad.gov.ae. Another alternative is to contact the ICA or GDRFA customer service or mail and give the application details so that the status is informed to them.
The UAE Golden Visa offers permanent residence and many benefits to the healthcare professionals such as exemption from taxes, the right to practice employment independently of the requirement to be sponsored, and the right to bring family members to the UAE. The visa holders also qualify to enjoy the best banking services and travelling privileges.
