UAE: As More and More Celebrities Receive the Golden Visa, Dissenters Accuse Inequality
Sunil Ambalavelil- at Labour And Immigration
- on Nov 7, 2021 - 11:53
Recently, we had featured a spotlight on how Tovino Thomas, an Indian actor has received the Golden Visa in the UAE. Several other celebrities and influencers from India and across the globe have become recipients of the honour of the 10-year-termed, renewable visa. However, dissent seems to be mounting, accusing the current status quo on how these visas are granted seems to be discriminatory to some. The rising list of celebrities who have been granted citizenship based only on their celebrity has sparked outrage in some quarters, notably among Emirati women who are unable to pass citizenship down to their children and stateless Bidoon people in the UAE. The disparity between celebrity rights and those granted to women, Bidoon, and expatriate employees has prompted outrage online in recent weeks. According to Sofia Kaltenbrunner, campaign manager at the International Campaign for Freedom in the UAE, the Middle-Eastern Nation’s increased efforts to give golden visas to social media influencers and celebrities are merely part of the country's public relations strategy.