Indian artist gets UAE's coveted Golden Visa

An Indian artist, who has been living in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) since 2007, received the Gulf nation's coveted Golden Visa, according to a media report on Wednesday.

Hailing from Odisha, Mona Biswarupa Mohanty applied for the Golden Visa on the basis of advice by a senior artist, the Khaleej Times report said.

"I am honoured to have received the Golden Visa. These milestones in life mean a lot. They reassure you that if you follow your heart and put heart and soul, gradually you will be rewarded in more ways than you can imagine," Mohanty told the newspaper over the phone.

"Receiving the Golden visa has strengthened my belief in myself and if this can inspire other young artists, I'd consider that my biggest contribution.

"I listened to my heart and took this plunge and being rewarded for it tells me that when you follow your passion and give in your best, good things start happening to you," she added.

A fashion designer, Mohanty came to the UAE in 2007 as a Lecturer for Manipal University in Dubai.

After working in the fashion industry for eight years, she decided to become a painter, said the Khaleej Times report.

A Golden Visa enables foreigners to live, work and study in the country without the need of a national sponsor and with 100 per cent ownership of their business on the UAE mainland.

They are issued for five or 10 years and are renewed automatically.