Malayalam actors Mohanlal and Mammootty received Golden Visas from the United Arab Emirates government, allowing them long-term residence. Mohammed Ali Al Shorafa Al Hammadi, chairman of Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development, greeted the stars and presented them with the Golden Visa.
“On behalf of the government of Abu Dhabi, I would like to thank the two famous actors from India for being part of our Golden Visa in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. The Emirate of Abu Dhabi as a government has initiated this programme to attract talents from different parts of the world,” he said.
The two actors spent some time at the Abu Dhabi office, and with them was the noted NRI business tycoon and philanthropist Yusuffali. Mohanlal and Mammootty stood on either side of him with their visas and thanked the UAE government as well as Yusuffali.
“Special thanks to Yusuffali for making a lot of effort for this. He has made a lot of contributions for the development of Kerala. There are a lot of benefits for the visa, it is valid for 10 years and will be extended further. We consider it as an honour. They also said that they will give us opportunities in promoting our industry. It is a big thing that they are making this gesture at a time like this,” Mohanlal said, referring to the difficult times that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought the film industry.
“This is our Golden Visa,” said Mammootty, opening his passport and showing the visa stamp. “We are happy to receive it. We consider it as a big gift from Malayalis and people of Kerala. If you were not there, we wouldn’t have reached here,” Mammootty added.
The Golden Visa refers to the long-term residence visas in the UAE. In 2019, the UAE implemented a new system for these visas, enabling foreigners to “live, work and study in the UAE, without the need of a national sponsor and with 100% ownership of their business on the UAE’s mainland,” according to the UAE government portal. These visas will be issued for five or 10 years and will be renewed automatically.