Free Zones

UAE Golden Visa Expansion 2026: Who Now Qualifies Under New Self-Sponsored Rules

The 2022 overhaul removed AED 10M threshold. The 2025-2026 updates further added nurses, teachers, content creators, e-sports professionals and Waqf donors. Many professionals can now apply without employer sponsor under the self-sponsored residency model.

VisaPro·Apr 23, 2026·7 min read·visapro.com
Professionals can now self-sponsor Golden Visa without employer involvement

This briefing links to external reporting from VisaPro. Stead Intelligence curates verified third-party sources for global mobility professionals and applicants.

Related intelligence

Stead Intelligence curates and links to external sources. All articles are published by the indicated third-party source. Stead does not claim authorship of linked content.