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UAE rated among top 10 countries by millionaires seeking health security

Dubai - The new research is released by Deep Knowledge Analytics and Henley & Partners

The UAE’s investment migration programme has been rated the best in the Middle East and the Arab world and among the top 10 globally by the millionaires seeking health security, according to Deep Knowledge Analytics and Henley & Partners' new research.

The UAE is ranked sixth globally and is rated ahead of 25 countries including Singapore, Hong Kong, Italy, the United Kingdom (UK), Turkey, Ireland, the United States of America (USA) among others.

Covering 140 different parametres, the Investment Migration Programs Health Risk Assessment analysed and ranked the economic, social, and health stability of 31 countries that host residence- and/or citizenship-by-investment programmes as well as the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats or risks that they face in the battle against the global health and economic crisis triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The UAE also scored highly in quarantine efficiency, government efficiency, and low vulnerability.

In the Middle East region, Turkey was ranked 11th and was bolstered by its impressive government efficiency score. Ranked 24th globally, Jordan was the other country that assessed in the investment migration programme.

Deep Knowledge Analytics and Henley & Partners said the range of investment migration options in the Middle East is growing steadily and regional tensions have been easing in the first few months of this year, with governments moving towards cautious cooperation.

“Rather than engaging in direct and costly disputes, governments with available resources are jockeying for regional influence in the Covid-19 era. In the UAE, governments at the federal and emirate levels have rolled out several long-term visa schemes and a legal pathway to citizenship in an effort to retain and attract the talented expatriates needed for robust economic growth,” said Dr. Robert Mogielnicki, a Resident Scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington.

The UAE has rolled out a number of visa programmes to attract talent into the country such as remote work visa for professionals, Emirati citizenship, sponsorship of parents by students, long-term golden visa and multi-entry tourist visa.

Globally, Canada emerged as the top-performing investment migration country in terms of health management and risk readiness, with New Zealand in the second position, and Australia narrowly behind in the third place. Four European countries are in the top 10, with Switzerland ranked fourth, Austria in the fifth spot, Italy ranked ninth, and the UK occupying the 10th spot.

Despite being the world’s most powerful country and one that spends the highest percentage of its gross domestic product (GDP) on healthcare, the US is ranked just 16th out of the 31 investment migration countries.

Kevin Bürchler, Head of Key Accounts at the Swiss Insurance Partners Medical Family Office, said it is evident that a country can no longer rely on access to only one healthcare system no matter how well developed it might be.

“Securing residence through investment migration programmes in countries that rank highly when it comes to their government’s risk management and healthcare readiness is certainly a viable mechanism to improve your access to quality healthcare and therefore enhance your possible longevity,” he added.

-waheedabbas@khaleejtimes.com