Table of Contents
Frequently Asked Questions
What does an immigration consultancy do?
An immigration consultancy assesses a client's eligibility, advises on the visa, residency, and investment migration routes open to them, and guides the planning of a relocation.
Who uses immigration consultancy services?
Skilled professionals, business owners, investors, retirees, families, and companies planning workforce relocation use immigration consultancies to choose the route that fits their circumstances.
What is investment migration advisory?
It is advice for individuals on residency and citizenship by investment options across jurisdictions, comparing programmes, thresholds, and timelines so they can choose the right one.
Is immigration consultancy the same as immigration legal services?
No. Immigration consultancy is advisory work that produces analysis, recommendations, and guidance. Legal advice and representation is a separate activity classified on its own.
What is corporate mobility consultancy?
Corporate mobility consultancy advises businesses on workforce immigration strategy, including the relocation of staff, international hiring, and long-term talent mobility planning.
How to Start an Immigration Business with Meydan Free Zone
There is no single way to move to the UAE, or to move out of it. There are dozens of visa categories, residency routes, and investment migration programmes, each with its own thresholds, timelines, and trade-offs. Choosing the right one is a decision before it is a process, and immigration consultancy is the business of getting that decision right.
The investment migration industry alone surpassed USD 30 billion in annual value in 2024, growing at around 12 percent a year, with more than 80 countries now operating some form of programme, according to Focus on Travel News¹.
The advisory side of that industry has matured in step: in 2024, the investment migration firm Henley & Partners received enquiries from more than 180 countries and onboarded clients from 94 different nationalities², a measure of how globally distributed the demand for immigration advice has become. Within the UAE, the Golden Visa has grown into one of the world's largest residence-by-investment programmes, expanding its eligibility categories again in 2025³.
Sources: Focus on Travel News (2025); Henley & Partners (2025); JSB (2025).
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Immigration in the UAE runs through a defined federal framework. The Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security and the emirate-level residency directorates set the visa categories, eligibility rules, and digital application channels that every route runs through. For a consultancy, that structure is the opportunity rather than a constraint: clear, published rules are exactly what makes professional advice valuable, because the rules are detailed enough that most people cannot read their own situation against them without help.
The demand for advice is large because the choice is genuinely hard. A skilled professional, a business owner, an investor, and a retiree each face a different set of viable routes, and the UAE alone offers multiple visa categories with their own thresholds and renewal terms. Widen the lens to outbound moves and the picture multiplies: more than 80 countries now run investment migration programmes¹, each with its own rules, costs, and timelines.
Most people cannot evaluate that landscape alone. Add the businesses relocating staff, hiring internationally, or planning workforce mobility, and the result is a steady stream of clients who need a clear recommendation before they commit time or money. Much of that advice is currently offered as a sideline by firms whose main business is something else, which leaves clear room for dedicated consultancies that do nothing but immigration.
From skilled professionals and investors to families and relocating businesses, the UAE immigration market rewards consultancies that turn a complex set of options into a clear recommendation.
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Who is this for?
- Individual immigration advisors: Consultancies advising individuals and families on the visa, residency, and relocation options open to them, and on which route best fits their circumstances and goals.
- Corporate mobility consultants: Advisors guiding businesses on workforce immigration strategy, including relocating staff, hiring internationally, and planning long-term talent mobility.
- Investment migration advisors: Consultants advising high-net-worth individuals on residency and citizenship by investment options across jurisdictions, and on how those options align with their wider plans.
Meydan Free Zone offers 100% foreign ownership, zero percent corporate tax on qualifying income, full profit repatriation, and a fully digital licensing process, providing a regulated and cost-efficient base from which to operate an immigration consultancy in one of the world's most active relocation markets.
7020.14 - Immigration Consultancy
Under this activity, you are licensed to provide advice, guidance, and consultancy on immigration matters to individuals, families, and businesses.
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There are clear boundaries on this activity. Immigration consultancy does not cover legal advice and representation, which is a separate regulated activity under its own classification. It also excludes the processing and handling of immigration applications, which is classified as a distinct service activity. The activity is advisory: it produces analysis, recommendations, and guidance, not legal counsel or completed applications.
The line is precise. If your business assesses immigration options and advises clients on which route to take, you are in. If you provide legal representation, or if you process and submit applications on a client's behalf, you are not.
Third-Party Approval
No third-party approval is required for this business activity.
Anti-Money Laundering Compliance
This business activity is exempt from AML compliance requirements.
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Citations
¹ Focus on Travel News. Investment Migration Trends 2025: What's Changing for High-Net-Worth Individuals. Focus on Travel News, November 2025.
² Henley & Partners. Investment Migration Programs Report 2025. Henley & Partners, 2025.
³ JSB. UAE Golden Visa Statistics and Trends: A Data-Driven Analysis. JSB, 2025.
