The United Arab Emirates has extended a suspension for those travelling from India and several other South Asian countries due to COVID-related guidelines. According to Etihad Airlines, the ban will be in place until July 31st. However, other airlines have said this is pending government review. The extension does not include UAE citizens, diplomats or those holding the nation's investor visa. Nor does it include fully vaccinated travellers that hold a residency visa and have taken three tests since June 23rd. Read: UAE widens travel ban leaving many South Asians unable to return to country However, those who fall outside this bracket and hope to conduct business or travel for leisure to the UAE will have to continue to wait for the restrictions to be lifted. Since April, expats in India have been left in limbo overseas, with many forced to re-evaluate their options. The need to have alternative solutions has become more apparent than ever for those facing limited mobility, not only impacting business but jeopardising family safety. Since the onset of the pandemic, there has been a spike in demand for second citizenship as a tool that can be leveraged to diversify assets whilst also providing a safety net during times of uncertainty. According to data, there have been as many as 5,000 high net-worth Indians who have left the country since 2020. In conjunction, there has been a sharp incline in interest for Citizenship by Investment (CBI) - a process that confers citizenship to an applicant and additional dependents once an economic contribution is made to a host country. Read: Dominica Completes $2m Bypass Project to Safeguard Community During Hurricane Season "As governments become more insular and impose stricter visa controls, the opportunity to travel and do business globally is considerably hampered. So, Citizenship by Investment is a wonderful way to reverse that as it gives the Indian national better access to travel and business opportunities," says Micha Emmett, CEO of CS Global Partners is a global investor immigration firm specialising in providing citizenship solutions. Since 1993, Dominica has welcomed Indian investors, among others, to become citizens of the Caribbean nation. The country's CBI programme offers successful applicants a trusted route to second citizenship with benefits such as increased travel freedom to over 140 destinations, access to top tier educational institutions and alternative business prospects. The programme has also been ranked as the world's best offering for second citizenship by an annual independent study conducted by experts at the Financial Times' PWM.

The United Arab Emirates has widened its travel ban to include Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka effective from May 12. The announcement came after the UAE banned Indians from travelling to the country to curb the spread of the Indian COVID variant. However, this ban will not include long-term residency holders, such as the Golden Visa, and diplomats. Those that consider the UAE their home base but are not holders of the visa or hold citizenship must find alternative solutions to the restrictions. Since the UAE banned travellers from India, there has been skyrocketing demand for private jets from wealthy individuals stuck abroad. While there are still charter flights available, they can only hold up to nine travellers and must get approval from the appropriate authorities beforehand, after submitting passenger details. There is no information for how long the ban will last, leaving many UAE-based companies to shift their short-term hiring plans, sourcing talent locally instead of hubs in South Asia like India. Over the last year, the pandemic has triggered mass uncertainty across the globe. To combat this, high net-worth individuals and their families have increasingly invested in second citizenship as an insurance policy to protect their future financially and physically. Citizenship by Investment Programmes, in particular, have become a popular route to achieving this. Under this initiative, wealthy investors can become legal and lifelong citizens within two to three months once making a qualifying investment into either a government fund or buying selected real estate options. CS Global Partners, a London-headquartered immigration firm specialising in citizenship by investment, has noted an uptick in applications since the start of the pandemic. "For many wealthy individuals, the pandemic is the first time that they recognise the undeniable need for a Plan B. It's not only a matter of protecting your family's immediate safety but ensuring that your eggs are not all in one basket financially. Second citizenship can provide all of this," says Micha Emmett, CEO of CS Global Partners. St Kitts and Nevis introduced the world's first and, now, the longest-standing CBI Programme in 1984. With nearly four decades of experience, the programme is recognised within the investment migration industry as a "Platinum Standard" brand. Not only is it a trusted product, but it remains to be one of the fastest citizenship programmes globally, as highlighted in the 2020 CBI Index. It also ensures its due diligence framework is robust and multi-tiered, accepting only those of the highest moral character. Under the Sustainable Growth Fund, investors who choose St Kitts and Nevis can also take advantage of a limited time offer that confers citizenship to a family of four for only $150,000 instead of $195,000. Source: CS Global Partners