The United Arab Emirates yesterday (May 12) widened its travel ban to include Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka, in a move that comes after the country banned Indians from travelling to the country to curb the spread of the India Covid variant.

However, this ban will not include long-term residency holders (such as the Golden Visa) and diplomats. Those that consider the UAE their home base but are not holders of the visa or hold citizenship must find alternative solutions to the restrictions.

Since the UAE banned travellers from India, there has been skyrocketing demand for private jets from wealthy individuals stuck abroad. While there are still charter flights available, they can only hold up to nine travellers and must get approval from the appropriate authorities beforehand, after submitting passenger details.

There is no information for how long the ban will last, leaving many UAE-based companies to shift their short-term hiring plans, sourcing talent locally instead of hubs in South Asia like India.

Over the last year, the pandemic has triggered mass uncertainty across the globe. To combat this, high net-worth individuals and their families have increasingly invested in second citizenship as an insurance policy to protect their future financially and physically.

Citizenship by Investment Programmes, in particular, have become a popular route to achieving this. Under this initiative, wealthy investors can become legal and lifelong citizens within two to three months once making a qualifying investment into either a government fund or buying selected real estate options.

CS Global Partners, a London-headquartered immigration firm specialising in citizenship by investment, has noted an uptick in applications since the start of the pandemic.

"For many wealthy individuals, the pandemic is the first time that they recognise the undeniable need for a Plan B. It's not only a matter of protecting your family's immediate safety but ensuring that your eggs are not all in one basket financially. Second citizenship can provide all of this," said Micha Emmett, CEO of CS Global Partners. – TradeArabia News Service