Speaking at a cabinet session on 7 October 2026, UAE Vice-President and Dubai Ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum announced that the government will unveil “the biggest change yet” in how public services are delivered at a major event next month. He cited a Boston Consulting Group survey showing the UAE leading global rankings for customer satisfaction with digital services and pledged that artificial-intelligence agents would handle half of all government transactions within two years. Although details remain under wraps, officials have been piloting AI-powered “Agentic” platforms across immigration, customs and business-licensing workflows. In September, the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) rolled out its Click & Travel mobile-immigration service, allowing selected passengers to clear passport control in 12 seconds. Industry sources believe the November announcement will formalise a unified digital ID layer enabling one-click renewal of residence visas, Golden Visas and work permits. For multinational employers, the prospect of end-to-end digital processing could cut residence-permit turnaround times from weeks to days, easing onboarding of expatriate talent. It would also dovetail with the UAE’s new labour-mobility regulations that allow sponsored employees to switch employers during their probation period, provided exit and re-entry formalities are completed electronically. Experts caution that change-management planning is critical. Mobility teams will need to update document-checklists, retrain PROs (public-relations officers) and ensure that HR-tech stacks can interface with the forthcoming government APIs. Nonetheless, the shift promises to reinforce the UAE’s competitive edge in attracting foreign investment and skilled migrants.
Source: Khaleej Times
