Starting next month, anyone who wants to obtain a UAE work visa will need to present a 'certificate of good conduct', according to the Emirates News Agency.

On Monday, the decision to demand the visa prerequisite was approved by the UAE's Coordination Committee, and the latest order is set to take full effect from February 4, 2018.

The document required from expats must be issued by their country of origin or a country they've been living in for the past five years. 

"It should then be ratified by the state's mission, as well as the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation," the statement read. 

The document is basically a certificate which serves as a proof that the person arriving in the UAE for work has no criminal record and was not previously involved in any crimes that violate the law.

It will only be required of the worker coming into the country and not his/her dependents. People arriving in the UAE on tourist visas will not be required to obtain a certificate either. 

In their statement on the matter, the committee involved in passing the latest decision said it comes in line with the UAE government's ongoing efforts to create "a safer and more sustainable society."

"Making the UAE one of the safest countries in the world is the government's main aim," the committee explained. 

In December, New Zealand musician and singer Lorde canceled a concert in Israel after two individuals from New Zealand - one Jewish and one Palestinian - co-wrote a letter calling for the singer to do so.

The 21-year-old singer's decision received backlash online, but it wasn't all negative news. Over 100 artists took a stand in solidarity with Lorde's decision in an open letter published in The Guardian. 

The artists - from different countries around the world - signed a pledge in support of the singer's decision, saying she has every "right to take a stand" against Israel.

The open letter came after some media outlets referred to her as an anti-Semite. The Washington Post published an advertisement in their newspaper saying Lorde is "ignoring Syria to attack Israel."

"We deplore the bullying tactics being used to defend injustice against Palestinians and to suppress an artist’s freedom of conscience. We support Lorde’s right to take a stand," the letter reads.

Artists from around the world stood in solidarity with the 21-year-old including actresses, singers, filmmakers, painters, to name a few. 

Roger Waters - who has long been vocally opposed to Israeli aggression - is among those on the list. 

Waters has consistently expressed his solidarity with the Palestinian people.

"After visiting Israel in 2005 and the West Bank the following year, I was deeply moved and concerned by what I saw, and determined to add my voice to those searching for an equitable and lawful solution to the problem," Waters wrote in an op-ed for Salon in 2014.

He also expressed his full support of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement: 

"I have determined that the BDS approach is one I can fully support."

The full list of artists who signed the pledge can be found here.