LuLu chairman gets first ‘Golden Card’ in UAE

Yusuff Ali M.A. was handed the card in Abu Dhabi by Brig. Saeed Salem Al-Shamsi, executive director of the General Directorate of Residency and Foreign Affairs.

The Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship on Monday announced that it had issued its first permanent residency “Golden Card” to Indian businessman Yusuff Ali M.A., chairman of LuLu Group.
Ali was handed the card in Abu Dhabi by Brig. Saeed Salem Al-Shamsi, executive director of the General Directorate of Residency and Foreign Affairs, as he becomes the first of 6,800 investors to receive permanent residency. The first batch of beneficiaries are investors with total investments exceeding 100 billion dirhams ($27 billion).
Unlike the long-term visa of five to 10 years for businessmen and talented individuals, the “Golden Card” gives permanent residency to the holder. 
Ali, who has been based in the UAE for more than 45 years, has a retail and hospitality empire spread across the world. With more than 170 hypermarkets and shopping malls, LuLu Group employs more than 50,000 people comprising 42 nationalities.