The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Saturday adopted amendments that would allow the Gulf state to grant citizenship to investors and other professionals including scientists, doctors and their families.

The development was made public by Dubai's ruler and UAE Vice President Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum in a tweet stating: “The UAE cabinet, local Emiri courts and executive councils will nominate those eligible for the citizenship under clear criteria set for each category."

"The law allows receivers of the UAE passport to keep their existing citizenship," Sheikh Mohammed added.

It was unclear if new passport holders would benefit from the public welfare system.

The UAE spends billions of dollars each year on free education, healthcare, housing loans and grants for its estimated 1.4 million citizens.

Foreigners in the UAE usually have renewable visas valid for only a few years tied to employment. The government in recent has made its visa policy more flexible, offering longer residencies for certain types of investors, students and professionals.