By Elena Vasquez

The UAE's 10-year "golden visa" is not reserved for investors and millionaires anymore. Nurses, teachers, and even professional e-sports players now count among the categories eligible for the long-term residence permit, as Fortune reports.

The change matters because the golden visa is the Emirates' most secure residency status. Holders keep the right to live and work in the country for a full decade, and the permit renews on its own terms rather than tied to a single employer.

Who qualifies under the expanded golden visa?

The programme now reaches well beyond the classic profile of the wealthy investor. Fortune's reporting lists three examples of the newly recognised professional groups:

• Nurses and other medical workers
• Teachers
• Professional e-sports players

The common thread is skill, not wealth. The UAE has spent recent years widening the golden visa's eligibility net so that specialised talent — not only capital — can secure long-term residence.

What does the 10-year term change in practice?

Standard UAE work visas typically bind a resident to a sponsoring employer. The golden visa breaks that link. A holder can change jobs, study, or run a business without losing residency, because the 10-year permit stands on its own.

That security is the mechanism behind the programme's appeal. For a nurse or a teacher, it means a decade of stable status that does not collapse if a contract ends.

Why is the UAE widening the net?

Long-term visas are a tool for keeping talent inside the country. By extending the golden visa to professionals such as e-sports competitors, the UAE signals that it values emerging industries alongside traditional high-earning fields.

For foreign workers, the message is equally direct: the Emirates wants skilled people to stay, not just to pass through.

What should applicants watch next?

Eligibility rules and required documents vary by category, and the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship publishes the authoritative lists. Readers weighing an application should verify their specific profession's criteria through official UAE channels before acting.

The takeaway is simple: the UAE's 10-year golden visa has grown from a rich person's perk into a skills-based residency route covering nurses, teachers, and e-sports professionals.