Mona Biswarupa Mohanty, an Odisha artist from Mayurbhanj, has been granted the UAE’s coveted “golden visa,” or long-term resident visa, for a period of ten years.
Talented individuals in the disciplines of arts, creative industries, literature and culture, heritage history, and cognitive research are eligible for a long-term cultural visa.
It allows foreigners to live, work, and study in the West Asian country without the requirement for a national sponsor and to own 100% of their businesses on the UAE’s mainland.
The UAE introduced a new system in 2019, in which these visas are given for five or ten years and automatically renewed.
Ms. Mohanty is the first Odia artist to earn the UAE’s golden visa.
Ms. Mohanty has been in Dubai since 2007 and has spent the last eight years working in the academic field and the design sector. She is a recognized self-employed artist with the Dubai Economic Department.
Aside from bachelors and masters degrees, she holds a certificate in fine arts from the School of Art and Crafts, Baripada.
“A long-term residency gives me an opportunity for a more meaningful cultural exchange and possibilities of working on collaborative projects with other artists,” Ms Mohanty said.
“I see this as an opportunity to represent my country and culture and mingle with other cultures to contribute to the ever-growing global cultural heritage,” she added.
