Saudi Arabia Grants Citizenship to Global Talents in Vision 2030 Push
Saudi Arabian government has proposed to grant citizenship to a number of top-notch professionals in a bid to implement the Vision 2030 plan of the kingdom, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
A royal decree that was signed on Thursday defines that scientists, doctors, researchers, innovators, entrepreneurs, and other talented individuals with specific skills and specialization can obtain citizenship. This is in consonance with Saudi Arabia’s continuing drive to generate a diverse, knowledge-based economy through the attraction of the best talents from across the globe in the religious, medical, scientific, cultural, sports, and technological arenas.
The Saudi Press Agency (SPA) emphasized on these facts stating that these experts and exceptional global talents with unique competencies in religious, medical, scientific, cultural, sports, and technological fields are enhancing the growth of various sectors across the Kingdom.
It is not the first time that Saudi Arabia has granted citizenship to the foreign specialists. In 2021 the Kingdom has launched the official naturalization for foreign talents program for doctors and academics among others.
Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper listed some of the most prominent people who were among the latest Saudi Arabian citizenship recipients. Among them, there is Mehmood Khan, an American and the head of the Hevolution Foundation, who made a significant contribution to the development of the health sciences.
Another scientist who has also been given citizenship is Jackie Yi-Ru Ying, an American of Singaporean origin. Currently, Ying is the Director of the NanoBio Lab and he was the first Executive Director of the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology in Singapore.
Also, Lebanese scientist Niveen Khashab has been recognized for her advanced scientific knowledge and research in bioengineering and nanomaterial. Khashab is a KAUST university founder and is an Associate Professor of Chemical Sciences and Engineering at KAUST since 2009.
Noreddine Ghaffour has been identified as a French scientist with special focus on environmental science and engineering, desalination. Ghaffour is a Professor at KAUST and received a PhD in membrane separation techniques from the University of Montpellier.
This latest decree is in line with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s attempts to lure more of the most gifted talents whose work has a major impact on the economy, health, culture, sports, and innovation; thus, contributing to the achievement of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 of creating an environment that encourages investment in exceptional creative minds.
