Sania Mirza and Shoaib Malik receive UAE golden visa

Indian tennis star and veteran Pakistan cricketer granted 10-year residency

Sania Mirza and her husband Shoaib Malik have received UAE's golden visa. AP

Tennis ace Sania Mirza and her husband, and star Pakistan batsman, Shoaib Malik have deepened their ties with the UAE after receiving the country’s golden visa.

The golden visa grants the recipient a 10-year residency in the UAE, and is awarded as a recognition of a person's contribution to society, including science, culture, business and sport.

And now, the star couple have been given the honour. Malik has been one of the serving cricketers for Pakistan, while Sania is one of the finest tennis players produced by India. Both have been living in Dubai since marrying in 2010.

“Dubai is extremely close to me and my family. This is my second home and we are looking forward to spending more time here,” Sania told news agency ANI.

“Being one of the few selected citizen from India, this brings an absolute honour to us. This will also give us an opportunity to work on our tennis and cricket sports academy which we are aiming to open in the next couple of months.”

In 2019, the UAE established a new system for long-term residence visas. The scheme was introduced to attract investors, but has since been expanded to also acknowledge the contributions made by various members of society from the Arab world and beyond.

Bollywood stars Shah Rukh Khan and Sanjay Dutt are the other two Indian celebrities to receive the visa. Singer and actor Fakhr-e-Alam became Pakistan’s first celebrity to receive the honour.

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