A UAE business owner can obtain a Golden Visa through three routes in 2026. Route A: company stake valued at AED 2,000,000 or more (paid-up capital or share value) + FTA letter confirming tax payments — 10 years. Route B: innovative project valued at AED 500,000 or more + approval from an accredited incubator or a UAE-licensed auditor letter — 5 years. Route C: basic salary of AED 30,000 per month as director of their own company — 10 years. All routes are self-sponsored with no 180-day rule.

An employer in Hong Kong must enrol every employee aged 18 to 64 in a Mandatory Provident Fund scheme within the first 60 days of employment and remit monthly mandatory contributions of 5 per cent of relevant income from its own funds, plus 5 per cent deducted from the employee. The duty covers full-time and part-time employees alike. The regulator is the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority (MPFA).

The Neo Nomad Visa (category B12-1) is a multiple-entry Kazakhstani visa for foreign nationals working remotely for foreign companies who wish to reside legally in Kazakhstan while combining work with travel, without the right to take up employment with a Kazakhstani employer.

For several years, the UAE property investor visa system remained relatively stable: a two-year visa required at least AED 750,000; a ten-year Golden Visa required at least AED 2 million, of which a minimum of AED 1 million (or 50%) had to be paid upfront. Clear, predictable, but not accessible to everyone.

There is no single concept of a "freelance visa" in the UAE. There are two fundamentally different routes. They differ in duration, cost, income requirements, and freedom of movement across the UAE.

The Remote Work Visa (officially the Virtual Working Programme, also known as the digital nomad visa) is a one-year, self-sponsored UAE residence permit for individuals working remotely for a foreign employer or foreign clients, without needing to incorporate a company in the UAE or obtain a local sponsor. As of 27 January 2026, requirements have tightened: instead of 3 months of bank statements, applicants must now submit six consecutive months, demonstrating income of at least USD 3,500 per month. Applications for Dubai are processed by the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA); applications for all other emirates go through the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP), with different fees and procedures.

Health insurance for employees is mandatory for all employers in all 7 UAE emirates. Dubai and Abu Dhabi have enforced this since 2006-2014. From 1 January 2025, a federal basic health insurance scheme extended the obligation to the Northern Emirates. Without an active policy, GDRFA will not issue or renew a residence visa.

A UAE residence visa is an immigration status. It authorises living and working in the UAE. It is issued by ICP or GDRFA.

UAE tax residency is a tax status. It confirms that an individual is a tax resident of the UAE. It is evidenced by a Tax Residency Certificate (TRC) issued by the Federal Tax Authority (FTA).

Hong Kong offers four main immigration pathways for foreign entrepreneurs and professionals: the General Employment Policy (GEP) — including an investment track for establishing a business, the Top Talent Pass Scheme (TTPS), the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme (QMAS), and the new Capital Investment Entrant Scheme (New CIES).

Three key distinctions make UAE payroll fundamentally different from most countries.

A labour ban is an administrative decision by MOHRE blocking the issuance of a new UAE work permit for one year, applied only on three legally defined grounds.