Ali and Cochrane Comparative Migration Studies (2024) 12:16 Page 15 of 17 Policies Qatar Saudi Arabia UAE Naturalization Possible after 25 years of residence, good conduct, legal status, financial stability, and knowledge of Arabic language Possible after a residence period of 10 years for some categories such as investors and some professionals Foreigners can become citizens of the country after a minimum of 30 years of residency in the UAE, subject to certain conditions. Exceptional candidates may be nominated by UAE royals or officials Women’s rights Women do not have an Women can pass on their inherent right to pass their citizenship to their chilnationality to their children dren if married to a nonSaudi, with the approval of the Ministry of Interior Children born to Emirati mothers and foreign fathers are not entitled to UAE citizenship Emirati mothers can apply for citizenship for their children provided their child has lived in the UAE for six years. When the child turns 18, they can apply themselves. The process is complicated and long Dual nationality Applicants are required to renounce their previous nationality Dual nationality is not recognized, and citizens who acquire another nationality may lose their Saudi citizenship Dual citizenship is permitted since 2021 Second-class citizenship Naturalized citizens have limitations on their access to social and economic benefits as compared to those who are Qatari nationals Naturalized citizens have equal rights to Saudi citizens Naturalized citizens have equal rights to UAE citizens Residency Introduced a residency program for certain categories, such as investors and some professionals, that grants a residency permit for a period of up to 10 years, renewable upon conditions The UAE has recently introduced several residency programs aimed at attracting investors, entrepreneurs, and highly skilled professionals to the country. These include the Golden Visa program and remote work visa program Introduced a Permanent Residency Permit program that grants permanent residency to expatriates who have lived in the country for a significant period of time and have made significant contributions to the country Author contributions AA led the research, writing and analysis; LC conceptualized the paper, supported the methodology design, and contributed to the writing and analysis. Funding Open Access funding provided by the Qatar National Library. Financial support for this publication was provided by the Program on Governance, Resilience and Sustainability (PROGRESS) at HBKU. Data availability All data used in this paper is cited in the bibliography. Declarations Competing Interests The authors have no completing interests to declare. The authors did not receive support from any organization for the submitted work. The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose. Received: 1 June 2023 Accepted: 8 March 2024