Abu Dhabi: Renowned Bollywood actor and comedian, Johny Lever is the latest to be honoured with the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) coveted 10-year golden visa.
The 64-year-old actor was handed over the visa by officials from the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship (ICA).
Johny Lever expressed his gratitude to the Dubai government for awarding them the golden visa.
“I am deeply honoured to receive the golden visa and I thank the authorities for considering me worthy to receive this privilege,” Lever said in a statement reported by Khaleej Times.
He is best known for his comedic roles and has appeared in a large number of Bollywood films including Phir Hera Pheri, De Dana Dan, Golmaal, Baazigar and many more.
Lever joins a long list of prominent Indian cinema stars from around the world who have been granted the UAE golden visa.
The list includes Shah Rukh Khan, Varun Dhawan, Ranveer Singh, Farha Khan, Sanjay Dutt, Mohanlal, Mammootty, Sunil Shetty, Prithviraj Sukumaran, Sonu Nigam, Sonu Sood and Sanjay Kapoor.
Boney Kapoor alongside his children, Janhvi, Arjun and Khushi were awarded the golden visa.
About UAE golden visa
The golden visa was created by the UAE government in 2019, which allows foreigners to live, work and study in the country without the need for a national sponsor. It also gives businessmen a 100 percent ownership of their business on the UAE mainland. These visas are issued for 5 or 10 years and are automatically renewed.
The visa is open to investors, entrepreneurs, extraordinary talents and researchers in many disciplines of technology and knowledge, as well as smart students.
Managers, CEOs, and experts in research, engineering, health, education, business management, and technology are now eligible for the golden visa. Furthermore, the process for obtaining long-term residence has been simplified for highly trained and specialised residents, investors, entrepreneurs, scientists, trailblazers, top students and graduates.
Golden and silver visas are more popular among foreign investors, entrepreneurs and high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) as they want to be a part of the success of the UAE in the post-COVID-19 pandemic era.
As per Khaleej Times reports, Industry specialists and business consultancies said that recent visa reforms offer several options to foreign investors and individuals seeking freelance work permits in the UAE.
