Ziad Saleh has became the first Arab expatriate to be granted permanent residency in the UAE.
The CEO of Alain Pharmacy Group was given a ‘Golden Card’ by authorities on Friday.
Saleh received his card along with Dr. Shamsheer Vayalil, managing director of VPS Healthcare.
The two are one of the first of 6,800 investors with total investments of AED 100 billion who will get lifelong residency under a new scheme that was announced last month.
The initiative is expected to benefit investors and exceptional talents in the fields of medicine, engineering, science and arts.
Earlier this month Indian billionaire Yousuf Ali became the first expat to be granted permanent residency in the UAE.

UAE condemns terrorist plots in Morocco, supports safety measures
Mohamed bin Zayed University for Humanities receives International Quality Accreditation
UAE ministry revokes licence of private university over 'severe violations'
UAE expresses solidarity with Ghana and Ivory Coast following floods
DEWA deploys agentic AI across its digital platforms
