Dubai authorities issued 1,051,978 new residency permits in the first half of 2026, according to the emirate’s General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA).
During the same period, 910,552 existing residence permits were renewed, and more than 5.078 million entry permits were issued to foreigners in various categories. The number of long-term Golden Visas issued totaled approximately 66,000.
However, the figure of 1 million permits does not mean that Dubai’s population increased by the same number of people over the six-month period. Some of the recipients may have already been in the emirate on tourist, work, or other visas. The statistics also do not account for foreigners who left Dubai or did not renew their residency.
According to the authorities, all immigration services in Dubai have been digitized, and the average processing time for a single transaction is less than four minutes. Customer satisfaction is estimated at 95%.
“Golden Visas” are granted to investors, entrepreneurs, scientists, skilled professionals, cultural and sports figures, as well as certain categories of students and graduates. This visa allows holders to reside in the UAE for an extended period without a traditional employer sponsor and to apply for residency for family members.
Dubai’s population at the end of 2024 was approximately 4.25 million. Men accounted for 68.5% of the emirate’s residents, a figure attributed to the large number of foreign workers arriving without their families.
The UAE as a whole is home to people of more than 200 nationalities, with foreigners making up the overwhelming majority of the population. The largest group consists of people from India. Significant communities have been formed by citizens of Pakistan, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Iran, Egypt, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. UAE citizens make up a minority of the country’s population.
The rapid influx of residents is driving demand for housing, commercial real estate, schools, healthcare, and transportation. At the same time, population growth is increasing the strain on Dubai’s roads, utilities, and public transportation.
Lebanon is preparing to launch a “golden residence permit” program for foreign investors with a minimum investment threshold of $500,000. The initiative is intended to help the country attract capital, create jobs, and support economic recovery following a long-standing financial crisis.
The bill was approved by Lebanon’s parliamentary committee on finance and budget. The bill must now undergo further review and receive parliamentary approval.
Under the initiative, foreign investors will be able to obtain a residence permit in Lebanon provided they invest at least $500,000 in approved economic sectors. This is specifically a residency program, not a direct sale of citizenship or passports.
Lebanon is attempting to join the global competition for wealthy investors, a field in which countries in the Middle East, Europe, and the Caribbean are already actively engaged. Such programs typically offer foreigners the right to reside in exchange for investments in real estate, businesses, funds, government securities, or strategic sectors.
For Lebanon, launching such a program is of particular importance. Since 2019, the country has been experiencing one of the most severe financial and economic crises in its history: the banking system has restricted depositors’ access to their funds, the national currency has sharply depreciated, and public finances remain under pressure.
Under these circumstances, the “golden visa” is viewed as a tool for attracting foreign capital without immediately increasing the debt burden. The potential impact could manifest in investments in real estate, tourism, services, infrastructure, private healthcare, education, and technology projects.
However, this model also carries risks. For Lebanon’s program to be effective, it requires transparent rules for selecting investors, verification of the origin of funds, a clear list of permitted sectors, safeguards against speculative investments, and oversight to ensure that investments actually contribute to the economy rather than merely granting a formal right of residence.
International experience shows that “golden visas” can quickly attract capital, but under conditions of weak regulation, they become a source of reputational, tax, and financial risks. Therefore, for Lebanon, the key issue will not be the launch of the program itself, but the quality of its administration.
If the program is implemented transparently, it could become one of the additional channels for restoring confidence in the Lebanese economy. However, it will not be able to replace comprehensive structural reforms, stabilization of the banking system, and political predictability.
Starting June 1, 2026, New Zealand is expanding the terms of the Active Investor Plus Visa program, often referred to as the New Zealand “golden visa.” Now, a portion of the required investment can be allocated to charitable donations, which should make the program more flexible and attractive to wealthy foreigners.
According to Reuters, investors in the Growth category will be able to allocate up to 20% of the minimum investment—that is, up to NZD1 million of the required NZD5 million—to charitable causes. The remainder must be invested in assets with higher growth potential. The changes take effect on June 1.
Officially, the Active Investor Plus Visa program grants foreign investors the right to live, work, and study in New Zealand indefinitely. To participate, applicants must invest a minimum of NZD5 million in the Growth category or NZD10 million in the Balanced category. According to Immigration New Zealand, 80% of applications for preliminary approval are processed in approximately 3.5 months.
The new charitable option is expected to expand the pool of potential program participants. New Zealand authorities hope that investors will not only inject capital into the economy but also support social, educational, medical, environmental, and community projects.
The rule update comes after a sharp surge in interest in the New Zealand investor visa. The Guardian reported that following the program’s reform in April 2025, the number of applications rose significantly: 308 applications were submitted over a few months, representing about 1,000 people, whereas before the changes, the program had attracted only 116 applications over two and a half years.
Investors from the U.S., China, and Hong Kong led the way in terms of the number of applicants. According to The Guardian, among the first 308 applications after the reform, there were 129 from the U.S., 45 from China, and 38 from Hong Kong. Investors from Germany, Singapore, and the U.K. also showed interest in the program.
Later, interest from American investors continued to grow. According to data from Immigration New Zealand cited by The Guardian, the new scheme has already attracted 573 applications representing 1,833 individuals. This confirms that the US has become the main source of demand for the New Zealand “golden visa.”
According to estimates by specialized consultants, demand also remains high from China and Hong Kong. GoldenVisas.com reported that investors from the U.S. lead the pack among applicants for the Active Investor Plus Visa, followed by China and Hong Kong, with the program attracting applicants from more than 30 countries in total.
For New Zealand, the program serves as a tool to attract long-term capital into the economy. Unlike some European “golden visas,” which were closely tied to real estate purchases, the New Zealand model emphasizes active investments, business, funds, securities, and now—to some extent—charity.
For investors, New Zealand is attractive due to its combination of political stability, quality of life, an English-speaking environment, a strong legal system, and the possibility of long-term residency for the family. At the same time, the high entry threshold means that the program is primarily aimed at high-net-worth applicants, entrepreneurs, and globally mobile families.
Key takeaway: New Zealand is not simply relaxing the “golden visa” rules but is attempting to modernize the program—with an emphasis on active investment and public benefit. Investors from the U.S., China, and Hong Kong remain the main drivers of demand, and the addition of charitable donations may attract even more applicants who wish to combine relocation, investment, and social contribution.
From 2021 through the first quarter of 2026, Dubai has issued over 167,000 long-term Golden Visas to family members of skilled professionals, according to data from the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai (GDRFA Dubai).
According to GDRFA Dubai, a total of 167,124 residence permits were issued to families of specialized talent during this period. Another 100,286 residency permits were issued to families of real estate investors, 70,247 to family members of scientists and specialized experts, 37,022 to relatives of major investors, and 3,259 to families of foreign retirees. In addition, thousands of additional visas were issued to relatives of entrepreneurs, outstanding students, and figures in the humanities.
Statistics show that family relocation is becoming one of the key areas of Dubai’s migration policy. The emirate is focusing not only on attracting individual specialists, investors, and entrepreneurs, but also on securing their families’ long-term presence in the country. According to local authorities, the increase in the number of family residence permits reflects foreigners’ confidence in Dubai’s social infrastructure, education, healthcare, and digital government services.
Based on the structure of issued permits, the most active groups of foreigners in this segment remain skilled professionals and their families, real estate investors, scientists and experts, as well as major investors. A separate large category is specifically linked to the real estate market: over 100,000 residence permits for families of real estate investors indicate that home purchases remain one of the key channels for long-term relocation to Dubai.
By nationality, the official statistics from the GDRFA Dubai do not disclose the distribution of family Golden Visas in the published data. However, the demographic structure of the UAE as a whole remains predominantly expat-driven: foreigners account for about 88.5% of the country’s population, and the largest communities are traditionally represented by people from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Iran, Egypt, and other countries in the region and Asia.
The UAE Golden Visa is a long-term residency visa that allows foreign talent, investors, entrepreneurs, scientists, professionals, students, and other categories to live, work, or study in the country.
For Dubai, the program has become a tool for competing for capital and human resources, as well as a way to retain wealthy and highly sought-after foreign nationals along with their families.
More than 500 foreign investors who have obtained Portuguese Golden Visas are preparing a class-action lawsuit against the government over a new citizenship law that extends the waiting period for applying for a Portuguese passport.
This concerns holders of ARI investment residence permits, known as “Golden Visas.” According to The Portugal News, investors believe the rule change violates their legitimate expectations, as many joined the program expecting to be able to apply for citizenship after five years of residency. Now, for some applicants, that timeframe could extend to eight or ten years.
The initiative brings together investors of various nationalities, with U.S. citizens being particularly prominent. The group’s members intend to first explore legal avenues within Portugal and then, if necessary, consider options for appealing at the European level.
The investors’ main complaint concerns the retroactive effect of the reform. Many Golden Visa holders had already been living in Portugal for several years, investing in funds, businesses, or real estate, and had planned to apply for citizenship under the old terms. In one example cited in the Portuguese press, an investor was less than two months away from completing the five-year period when the rules were changed.
The Portuguese Golden Visa has long been one of the most popular investment-based residency programs in the EU. It allowed foreigners to obtain a residence permit by meeting investment requirements and with minimal physical presence in the country, and then apply for citizenship after a set period of residence. However, in recent years, Portuguese authorities have consistently tightened their migration and investment policies.
This dispute is of significant importance for the real estate market and investment migration. If the courts rule that the new deadlines should not apply to existing investors, this will preserve some of the program’s credibility. If the state prevails, Portugal could face reputational damage among investors who viewed its rules as stable and predictable.
The changes could also affect other EU countries, where residence and citizenship programs are increasingly becoming the subject of political debate. Amid rising housing prices, migration pressure, and criticism of “golden visas,” governments are seeking to tighten conditions, but investors are demanding protection of previously acquired rights.
In Latvia, the so-called “golden visa” program has once again found itself at the center of a scandal after the country’s Financial Intelligence Unit identified more than 20 companies that, according to its assessment, were used for fictitious investments with the aim of obtaining residence permits. This was reported by the Latvian public media outlet LSM, citing the investigative program De Facto.
According to the investigation, approximately 200 foreigners invested more than 10 million euros in the authorized capital of such companies. At the same time, it is noted that the funds were often not used for actual economic activity but were redirected to the scheme’s organizers or circulated among related parties, providing no tangible benefit to Latvia’s economy but formally justifying applications for residence permits.
The program provides for the possibility of obtaining a temporary residence permit in Latvia upon investing 50,000 or 100,000 euros in a company’s capital. In 2025, this procedure brought the country nearly 6 million euros, and a total of 341 people received residence permits through it, including investors and their family members. At the same time, as LSM emphasizes, the state does not systematically assess how significant the actual contribution of these companies is—in terms of turnover, number of employees, or actual activities.
Interest in the program has grown in recent years. According to the Latvian Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs, 109 applications were submitted last year—more than five times as many as in 2021, when there were 20. However, only about one-third of the applications received a positive decision, as applicants undergo security and reliability checks.
The investigation also cites the example of L Hotels, a company established about a year and a half ago. Nine of its investors applied for residence permits last year, and the company’s list of shareholders includes 30 people from India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkey, Chile, Malawi, Syria, Vanuatu, and other countries. Most of them invested 100,000 euros each but received Class B shares, which, according to the articles of association, do not carry voting rights.
Toms Platacis, head of the Financial Intelligence Unit, stated that in some cases, the 50,000 euros required by law were in fact the same funds, recycled multiple times in a loop. LSM emphasizes that the story has once again intensified criticism of the program, which was originally intended to stimulate investment and attract wealthy foreigners but has been plagued by allegations of abuse from the very beginning.
