Professional expatriates, including Indians, would be able to hold dual residency in the Gulf nations under a move recommended by top immigration officials of the six nations.
Under the proposal, all expatriates like doctors, engineers, businessmen and lawyers will be free to live and work in the six Gulf states without having to gain new residency permits, Khaleej Times reported.
The recommendations made by immigration heads of Gulf Cooperation Council in a meeting in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday will now be sent to each government for approval.
If approved this would make it easier for companies to deploy staff to different offices in the region and ease travel procedures within region.
Brigadier Nassir Al Awadi Al Menhali, the acting director general of the UAE's ministry of interior naturalisation and residency department, told the newspaper that he strongly supported the move and that the UAE was already studying how to implement the system.
"The UAE supports ways to facilitate the expatriates and nationals movement among the GCC countries," Al Menhali said, adding, it would be up to each country to set up agreements with other Gulf states to establish double residency visas.
"The GCC director-generals agreed that the GCC residents can enter as usual under the current laws, while each country has the right to approve the mutual residency with the other countries, according to the naturalisation and residency laws and regulations," Al Menhali explained.
According to him, GCC residents looking for new jobs would also be allowed to enter other Gulf states on visiting visas, before securing employment.
"We will allow the GCC residents to enter the country on visit visa(s) in accordance to the naturalisation and residency law, and in case of finding a job they can apply to get the residency," he added.
