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28 March 2024

30% rise in Dubai residence visas issued in H1

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By Staff

The General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai (GDRFA-Dubai) has announced a 30 per cent increase in the number of residence visas issued in Dubai during the first half of 2014, compared with the same period in 2013.

The government entity has also unveiled a package of new smart services, which Emiratis, residents and corporates can access on their smartphones and tablets.

With this launch, the GDRFA-Dubai has completed the first stage of smart services that witnessed the launch of 28 services meant for visitors, residents and companies.

Thirty more smart services will be launched in the second stage.

Major General Mohammed Al Marri, Director General of GDRFA-Dubai, said: “The move is aimed to make government services available on smartphones and tablets, so that customers can manage their applications round the clock anywhere.”

The new smart services help customers submit their applications and follow up as conveniently and as fast as possible; yet security or privacy rules have not been compromised.

The initiative is in line with the Smart government drive initiated by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, in May 2013.

In his message published in the August issue of ‘Manafez Dubai’, the official bilingual newsletter of GDRFA-Dubai, Major General Al Marri said: “When we talk about information, we simultaneously take into account the privacy and confidentiality with no room for manipulation and unauthorised use.

“We have a zero tolerance policy when it comes to privacy, which is an integral part of our traditions, principles, values and religious beliefs.”

Surge in numbers

Speaking about the 30 per cent increase in the number of residency visas issued compared with the same period of 2013, Al Marri said that there were 570,917 new residency visas issued in the first half of 2014, up from 436,993 issued in 2013.

He said the country has also seen an 8.14 per cent increase in passengers entering and exiting the UAE, reflecting the growth in the country’s economy and tourism sector.

In the first half of 2014, 21,865,088 passengers entered and exited the country, compared with 20,219,288 in the first half of 2013.

“We anticipated those increases and we increased the number and trained our employees. We also developed the e-Gate counters to make the process of entering the country smoother,” he said at a press conference organised to announce the launch of Smart initiatives by the GDRFA-Dubai.

Major General Al Marri said, “Overall, the GDRFA completed 31,032,662 applications in 2014, which is 8.88 per cent more than 2013.”

Smart economy

In an interview with Manafez Dubai, Captain Khalid Ahmad bin Mediya Al Falasi, Assistant Director General of Smart Services Sector at GDRFA-Dubai, said that the GDRFA-Dubai aims to enlist half-a-million people annually for its smart services applications over the next six years.

He said that the GDRFA-Dubai has already finished the first stage of smart services that witnessed the launch of 28 services meant for visitors, residents and companies.

Thirty more Smart services will be launched in the second stage. Thus, a total of 58 out of 97 services delivered by GDRFA-Dubai will be smart by the end of the second stage.

Captain Khalid stressed that smart services save time and efforts and boost GDRFA-Dubai’s reach, performance and delivery. He also emphasised that the protection of data confidentiality and privacy, as per the best global security standards, remains the top priority for GDRFA-Dubai.

Statistics suggest that the number of clients enlisted in smart services applications reached 1,100 until July 13.

About 5,679 applications were downloaded between June 20 and July 13, 2014.

Manafez Dubai also depicts an infograph illustrating how smart gates, developed, manufactured and operated by emaratech, GDRFA’s strategic partner, are used to speed-up travellers through passport control in only 15 seconds.

Registration for using smart gates is available at departure and arrival halls at Terminals 1 and 3 at the Dubai International Airport. It is also available at GRDFA, Emirates Airlines and dnata headquarters.

Meanwhile, the new terminal at Dubai International Airport will open for trials in August, in preparation for its official opening early next year.

The new terminal will cater to over 100 airlines and increase Dubai International’s capacity to 90 million passengers a year when it opens in the first quarter next year.