Abu Dhabi: Students in the UAE have greeted the new visa rule changes with delight, saying the new visa system will help them find jobs as well as provide them with more peace of mind while carrying out their studies.
Announced on Sunday by the UAE Cabinet, the new visa system will provide university students with a five-year residence visa, and a 10-year visa for exceptional students.
“The UAE has been my home for the last four years. I got so used to the way of life here. I believe that given we have received our education here, we truly should have the ability to stay in the country for a time period after we graduate to search for jobs, search for housing and even just enjoy the country that has been our home,” said Mariam Ashraf Hanna, an Egyptian student studying finance at American University of Sharjah (AUS).
Mohammad Rafik, an Algerian studying environmental health and safety at Abu Dhabi University was also positive with the news, saying it gave him more assurances.
“I think it’s a very good decision, it provides us students with more security while we are living here and doing our studies.
“I have lived in the UAE for 18 years and see this country as my home, my future plans are connected to this country and so this new system is really beneficial for students like me, it opens a long term window for us to stay in the country,” he added.
Yousuf Geit, an Egyptian AUS engineering student said the new rules would significantly boost job prospect for new graduates.
“It will definitely decrease the pressure on the many fresh graduates looking for a job. Many of my older friends are taking any internships for the possibility of securing a job but they don’t. So this decision will definitely help by giving us some negotiation power.”
Renaam Kamran Sami, a Pakistani student studying chemical engineering at AUS, echoed the same view, noting how finding jobs could be made easier.
“Since I am [studying] chemical engineering, there are more opportunities for me in the UAE. So if they extend my visa after graduating I can stay in the country for some time and apply for jobs and go for interviews.”
Yousuf Emad Radwan, an Egyptian student also studying chemical engineering said the extended visa would mean students would not have to leave the country to try and find a job.
“It will be a very good enhancement because being in the country while looking for [a] job will help with more opportunities. With an extended visa I will be able to stay while looking for a job and then just switch sponsors when I get a job.”
Mohammad Fawzi, an Egyptian engineering post graduate student at the University of Wollongong, Dubai, said the visa extension would be a big help for researchers.
“It’s a very wise decision from the leadership of the UAE, the country is a great incubator for knowledge and this will make it much easier for students — both undergraduate and post graduate — to find jobs. The 10-year visa in particular is perfect, especially if you are doing research, it will provide a lot of stability and will give a lot of freedom for innovative thinkers.”
The news has also been welcomed by academics in the country, who say the new visa rules are another step forward for the country’s higher education sector.
“This is very good for students, it provides them with a lot more security and settlement, and it also helps us keep the talent pool within the UAE,” said Deena Al Sori, the chair at the Department of Applied Sciences and Mathematics at Abu Dhabi University.
“One of the major concerns our students have had is what will happen once they graduate and don’t get a job. We have had good students who sometimes didn’t want to finish early because of their visa status, so this new change will be a big relief for them and it will help reduce a lot of anxiety and worries,” she added.
“Overall this is a good move for the country’s education sector, anything that we can always do to help and support students is a good thing. In both Europe and the US they have similar models to encourage students, and so it’s a good thing that we are also developing a similar one as well,” she said.
— With inputs from Tamara Abueish, intern at Gulf News
