Lebanese singer Ragheb Alama announced on Tuesday that the UAE had granted him and his family the Golden Visa.
In an interview with The Insider Arabia, Alama expressed his joy for receiving a long-term residence visa in the Arab country, stressing, “the happiest thing for me is that my children are in Dubai.”
His sons, Khaled and Louay, have left Beirut for Dubai, citing the current conditions in Lebanon as the reason behind their decision.
Commenting on their departure, the artist said he is “relieved” that his children are in the UAE, even though he is far from them in Lebanon.
“What more would a father want than for his children to live in a place that is all safety, justice, work, positivity, and future vision, instead of occupying their time with empty things, especially that the political situation in Lebanon is difficult and anything can happen?” the artist said.
“I don’t like for them to be affected by any one of those who are lying to the Lebanese people and have destroyed Lebanon. I want them to live on clean ground, and I don’t think there’s cleaner than Dubai,” he added.
The Golden Visa is a special, long-term residence visa issued by the UAE for 5 or 10 years and renewed automatically. It allows foreigners to work, study, and live in the UAE without needing a national sponsor.
The UAE, which recently became the first Arab country to reach Mars, has opened its citizenship for non-Emirati people in a move that aimed at attracting talents and contributing to its development.
