Member News

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

17 November 2025 – Stricter Measures Reimplemented for Salary Calculation for Scientists and Specialists Golden Visa Category

Highly skilled professionals applying for the UAE Golden Visa under the ‘Scientists and Specialists’ category must now demonstrate a basic monthly salary of at least AED 30,000. Authorities in Dubai have reinstated the stricter rule by assessing only the basic salary, excluding housing, transport, and other allowances, to determine eligibility. This change sees UAE’s rule revert to its position prior to August 2024.

25 November 2025 – Reduced Processing Time for Tenant Utility Deposit Refunds

The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has automated deposit refund requests of up to AED 4,000, covering approximately 90 percent of all refund applications. This reduces the processing time from the earlier average of around four days to within 30 minutes.

The new system relies on an enhanced verification mechanism that sends instructions directly to banks to transfer the refund to the customer’s account using their International Bank Account Number (IBAN).

10 December 2025 – GPSSA Extends Payment Period for Service Consolidation

The period for paying the buy-back cost has been extended to 10 years for Emirati nationals enrolled in the federal pension system managed by the General Pension & Social Security Authority, up from the previous four years.

Insured members can now spread the buy-back cost (employees who previously received an end-of-service benefit for an earlier period of service and now wish to buy it back or add it back to their total years of service) over 10 years, while the minimum instalment remains 25% of the contributory salary.

The change includes the possibility of adding previous service periods with any employer enrolled in the federal pension system, service periods completed before acquiring UAE nationality, and any additional periods approved by the General Pension & Social Security Authority Board.

The reform was implemented in two phases: the first phase applied only to insured persons with active consolidation requests; while, the second phase, which started in November 2025, then extended the program to new consolidation requests.

15 December - Stricter Measures Implemented for Salary Calculation for Scientists and Specialists Golden Visa Category

Highly skilled professionals applying for the UAE Golden Visa under the ‘Scientists and Specialists’ category must now demonstrate that they have been earning a monthly basic salary of at least AED 30,000 for two years. Only an applicant’s basic salary is assessed. Benefits and allowances are not included in the calculation. They must also have held a Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratization professional level 1 or level 2 job title for a minimum of two years prior to submitting their application.

SAUDI ARABIA

29 October 2025 - Mandatory Health Insurance Prior to Temporary Work Visa Issuance

Saudi Arabia has changed several rules regarding health insurance for temporary work visa applicants, including the following:

• Obtained prior to visa issuance. The health insurance must be obtained prior to the issuance of a temporary work visa; previously, health insurance could be obtained after the issuance of the temporary work visa.

• Stricter insurance eligibility. The health insurance must now be provided by the visa-sponsoring entity’s registered health insurance provider, and this insurance provider also must be approved by the Council of Cooperative Health Insurance (CCHI) – a health insurance regulatory body in Saudi Arabia. Previously, health insurance from any provider on Enjaz was sufficient.

• Information to CCHI. The health insurance provider must now provide a copy of the insured individual’s passport and temporary employment contract to CCHI. This will ensure the insurance policy is linked to the individual’s passport record on the CCHI system. Previously, that was not necessary.

12 December 2025 - Increase in Denial Rate of Business Visit Visa Applications

Immigration practitioners have observed a marked increase in the denial rate of Busi-ness Visit Visa (BVV) applications. This is particularly the case for individuals who regularly travel to Saudi Arabia for business – especially those individuals where the intervals between visits are short. The rate of denials at the consular posts in Dubai and Mumbai is particularly pronounced.

Additionally, the denials are affecting an increasingly large range of nationalities; whereas previously they tended to be limited to the following 14 countries – all of which are only eligible for single-entry visit visas: Algeria, Bangladesh, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sudan, Tunisia and Yemen.

In many cases, applications are denied regardless of whether all required documenta-tion has been provided. In some instances, applicants are being asked to apply for a Temporary Work Visa instead.

Although no official government announcement has been made, the increase in denied BVV applications could also be due to a backlog of visas for business, tourism and family visits, including Hajj visa applications which are now being processed in the lead up to Hajj season beginning April 2026.

QATAR

17 December 2025 - Hayya GCC Residents Visa Updated with Extended Stays and Multiple-Entry Access

The Hayya GCC Residents Visa (A2) now permits stays of up to two months and grants multiple-entry access for eligible Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) residents. Previously, this visa type only provided a single-entry stay of one month.

These changes seek to boost tourism in Qatar (including strengthening its position as a destination for international events), including through relaxing entry rules and enhancing visitor mobility.

OMAN

20 November 2025 - New Cultural Visa and Cultural Residence Permit Introduced

Oman has introduced new Cultural Visa and Cultural Residence Permit pathways, allowing stays or residence for cultural purposes of up to 10 years. The new pathways seek to attract and retain artists, scholars, and creative professionals, and boost the country’s creative and heritage sectors.

Both the Cultural Visa and Cultural Residence Permit are available to foreign nationals who will participate in or contribute to cultural activities in Oman. Both options – which aim to attract artists, scholars, and creative professionals – also provide immigration pathways for close dependents.

Cultural Visa

• Eligibility and sponsorship. Applicants must be entering Oman for cultural purposes and require sponsorship from a recognised Omani cultural body – such as a government ministry, university, cultural centre, or festival organiser – confirming the purpose of the applicant’s stay.

• Duration. The Cultural Visa allows for stays of one, five, or 10 years. Applicants must make their initial entry into Oman within three months of being issued the visa.

• Fee. The application fee is OMR 50 for each year of the visa (for instance, the 10-year option costs OMR 500).

• Dependents. The spouse or immediate family of Cultural Visa holders are eligible for a Cultural Joining Visa. It is likewise available for durations of one year, five years, or 10 years – though cannot be longer than the principal visa holder’s visa. The application fee is OMR 10 for each year of the visa.

Cultural Residence Permit

The Cultural Residence Permit provides a residence permit pathway that is similar to the Cultural Visa but for foreign nationals who are already in Oman. Eligibility and sponsorship requirements, permit duration options (one, five or 10 years) and fees are identical.

Additionally, the spouse or immediate family of Cultural Residence permit holders are eligible for a Cultural Residence Permit. Again, this is available for durations of one year, five years, or 10 years – though cannot be longer than the principal permit holder’s permit – and the application fee is OMR 10 for each year of the permit.

BAHRAIN

28 November 2025 - Minimum Real Estate Investment for Golden Residency Visa Reduced

Bahrain has lowered the minimum real estate investment required for the Golden Residency visa program to BHD 130,000 (around USD 345,745), down from BHD 200,000 (around USD 513,915).

MIDDLE EAST

27 November 2025 - ‘One-stop’ Travel System Approved for GCC Nationals

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has approved a ‘one-stop’ travel system to simplify border procedures for GCC nationals traveling between Gulf countries.

The pilot phase is scheduled for December 2025, covering flights between the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, with plans to expand to all six GCC countries - Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, if successful.

Under the new system, travelers will complete immigration, customs, and security checks just once at the departure point, eliminating the need for full checks upon arrival in another GCC country. This will significantly reduce waiting times and enable smoother travel for GCC nationals across the Gulf.

17 December 2025 - Select Pension Authorities Announce Deadlines for Employers to Update Registered Employees' Salary Details

Select pension authorities in the Middle East and North Africa region have announced deadlines for employers to update their employees’ salary details. Non-compliant em-ployers risk incurring administrative penalties and monetary fines.

Once the deadline to update the local employees’ salaries has lapsed, employers will no longer be able to update their employees’ salary details and must wait until the following year to do so. Inaccurate record keeping of an employee’s salary details will negatively impact both employers and employees alike, as follows:

• all correlative monthly pension contributions will be incorrect; and

• where a pension authority’s system is linked to an overseeing tax authority’s system, the employee’s taxable income will be incorrect.

ABOUT FRAGOMEN

Fragomen is a leading firm dedicated to immigration services worldwide. The firm has nearly 5,500 professionals and staff in 62 offices located in the Americas, Asia Pacific and EMEA. Overall, Fragomen offers support in more than 170 countries.

We are structured to support all aspects of global immigration, including strategic planning, efficiency, quality management, compliance, government relations, reporting, and case management and processing. These capabilities allow us to represent a broad range of companies, organizations and individuals, working in partnership with clients to facilitate the transfer of employees worldwide.

Our Middle East and North Africa (MENA) practice also provides corporate services, including social security assistance, end-to-end corporate setup, corporate secretarial services, corporate amendments, restructuring activities and more. Our corporate services and immigration professionals have extensive experience working with multinational businesses, conglomerates, local employers, start-ups and individual investors. We have a deep understanding of the MENA region and maintain strong professional relationships with relevant authorities.

To learn more about how we can assist you, please visit our website at www.fragomen.com or contact us at [email protected].