I have a couple of questions for someone hoping to move to Dubai from the UK temporarily for a couple of years, that I hope you can help me with.
Visa requirements - I understand you need a visa to work in Dubai, how is this obtained, and is this difficult to obtain? (for someone in the property/legal/marketing industries) What are employment opportunities like out there? Is pay tax free?
Living - how is one to go about arranging accommodation, is it expensive? Are there any additional fees to pay?
How expensive is the lifestyle in Dubai - e.g. in comparison to London? Things like shopping, travel, food, hairdressers, beauty etc…
Pakistani community - is there a big Pakistani community in Dubai? How easy is it for an ‘outsider’ to integrate in to an already established community?
Healthcare - how does this work out? Do you need private healthcare?
I have a couple of questions for someone hoping to move to Dubai from the UK temporarily for a couple of years, that I hope you can help me with.
Visa requirements - I understand you need a visa to work in Dubai, how is this obtained, and is this difficult to obtain? (for someone in the property/legal/marketing industries) What are employment opportunities like out there? Is pay tax free?
You are right. In order to live here you need a residence permit, which your sponsor, ie your employer needs to arrange. Once you have yours, you can then act as the sponsor for your family's residence permits.
Pay is tax free, but the job market here is very competitive. Make sure you have some very unique and relevant skills in your CV, before you try.
Living - how is one to go about arranging accommodation, is it expensive? Are there any additional fees to pay?
Rents were exorbitantly high before the crisis. Now they've come down a bit and are comparable to those in London suburbs.
How expensive is the lifestyle in Dubai - e.g. in comparison to London? Things like shopping, travel, food, hairdressers, beauty etc...
Food and gas are cheap. Hairdressers and beauty are comparable to London in price. Shopping is a bit more expensive than in London, especially when you're talking about quality stuff. The real cost factor here is rent and schooling (if you have kids).
Pakistani community - is there a big Pakistani community in Dubai? How easy is it for an 'outsider' to integrate in to an already established community?
Loads of Pakistanis here and since most of them have only been around for a couple of years, the communities are not as established as the ones you'd find in the UK. Therefore I think it's a bit easier to integrate.
Healthcare - how does this work out? Do you need private healthcare?
The better companies provide health insurance to their employees themselves. Some don't and in those cases you'd have to get private health cover, which is quite expensive.
Thank you Umer for your detailed reply, it was a good read. I was unaware that you had to get the employer to sponsor you. I think a holiday to Dubai is called for before making any decisions on whether a move is the most appropriate option.
Umer has already answered all your questions, just want to add a bit for visa requirements
if you are in a profession where you can work independently or as a consultant, you can try registering yourself in one of the free-zones in the UAE, and this will spare you from finding a local sponsor and a job before you actually explore the UAE job market. one easy way is RAK Free Zone (http://www.rakftz.com/en), with their visa you can come to the UAE search for a job or can pursue your own small consultancy. though it may not be very good economically but gives you plenty of time to decide whether you can adjust here or not, before entering a real employment contract
healthcare as umer said, is very expensive, until you are working with a good employer
No one seems to have told you that the Gulf region is very racist. Name calling and abuse of Asians are pretty common. In the Emirates, there is a particular dislike of Pakistanis. So if you are of Pakistani origin, I would avoid the place like the plague. They also have an apartheid system of employment, so you get paid half as much as a gora. There health and education are private, so no comprehensive system like the NHS. And the rents are exhorbitant.
Renting in Arabian Ranches for example would be the same as renting in a zone 1 in London.
Dubai is a good place to visit, but for living, its a nightmare.
No one seems to have told you that the Gulf region is very racist. Name calling and abuse of Asians are pretty common. In the Emirates, there is a particular dislike of Pakistanis. So if you are of Pakistani origin, I would avoid the place like the plague. They also have an apartheid system of employment, so you get paid half as much as a gora. There health and education are private, so no comprehensive system like the NHS. And the rents are exhorbitant.
Renting in Arabian Ranches for example would be the same as renting in a zone 1 in London.
Dubai is a good place to visit, but for living, its a nightmare.
You are wrong about the racist thing. UAE is far more better than Kuwait or Saudia Arabia for example. Dubai is SO MUCH BETTER. No one is racist, they treat you with respect. This is coming from someone who has spent the past 15 something years in the middle east. Sorry to say people that don't live here will never know.
You are wrong about the health and education being private. There are world class public schools and clinics/hospitals available here. Government health cards are cheaper than private insurances by a mil. All the best hospitals in Dubai namely Rashid/Wasl etc are government/public hospitals and offer very good health care at fraction of the cost.
Renting in Arabian Ranches depends on where in Arabian Ranches but yes Arabian Ranches is one of the best places to live in Dubai. HIGHLY POSH AREA. Very clean. Very friendly. You can afford it, come here.
Actually Dubai is a bad place for visiting and good for living. Why bad place? Because you cannot see the true Dubai is a couple of days. You need to LIVE HERE TO LOVE HERE.
It seems to me you are from London but I could be mistaken. If you like London so much stay there. No one is begging for you to come. No need for these kinds of dil jalli comments. Thanks much.
Dubaiwali you cant exactly be expected to be objective on this issue if your nick includes the word Dubai!
the plight of immigrants is pretty well documented. i suggest you see the recent tropic of cancer documentary by bbc the person travelled across the middle east stopping off in egypt, saudi, dubai and oman.. the disgust at the subhuman treatment (which you can see in the documentary if you have never occasioned to come across it) is palpable, there is no reason why there would be a conspiracy about it.
the impression this article converys of intellectual vapidity, soaked up in passive soulless consumerist culture is not just confined to George Fulton. it is comfortable and anodyne, so is morphine.
And I say this as someone born in the gulf, and who lived there for 15 years, and retain many happy memories of the place (though oman is much more in touch with its soul than dubai, but Im biased there :))
Dubaiwali you cant exactly be expected to be objective on this issue if your nick includes the word Dubai!
the plight of immigrants is pretty well documented. i suggest you see the recent tropic of cancer documentary by bbc the person travelled across the middle east stopping off in egypt, saudi, dubai and oman.. the disgust at the subhuman treatment (which you can see in the documentary if you have never occasioned to come across it) is palpable, there is no reason why there would be a conspiracy about it.
the impression this article converys of intellectual vapidity, soaked up in passive soulless consumerist culture is not just confined to George Fulton. it is comfortable and anodyne, so is morphine.
And I say this as someone born in the gulf, and who lived there for 15 years, and retain many happy memories of the place (though oman is much more in touch with its soul than dubai, but Im biased there :))
This.
But that's just it. Some people are infatuated with the materialism and can't see beyond it.
I would suggest you purchase property/flat and live "rent free" in Dubai. This is the only way you will feel comfortable as major portion of your earning will go towards other important tasks. Buy a flat in Ajman or Sharjah. Properties prices are low at the moment. I heard about foreclosures too.
Dubai itself is amazing place. You can find everything from any part of the world, especially food. UAE people are much better than Kuwait and Saudia. Huge difference because UAE is open to expats and tourism. Kuwait/Saudia have RED TAPE.
Remember, NO Arab is sincere/kind in terms of money! I have seen UAE Arab landlords fighting with Pakistani tenants over rent.
For visitors/tourists, Dubai is money sucking machine!
Some interesting points being raised here. It seems the best course of action would be to take a (long) holiday out there to get a feel for 'real' life in Dubai beyond the shopping malls and flash cars.
Thank you all for your responses, much appreciated :)
Dubaiwali you cant exactly be expected to be objective on this issue if your nick includes the word Dubai!
the plight of immigrants is pretty well documented. i suggest you see the recent tropic of cancer documentary by bbc the person travelled across the middle east stopping off in egypt, saudi, dubai and oman.. the disgust at the subhuman treatment (which you can see in the documentary if you have never occasioned to come across it) is palpable, there is no reason why there would be a conspiracy about it.
the impression this article converys of intellectual vapidity, soaked up in passive soulless consumerist culture is not just confined to George Fulton. it is comfortable and anodyne, so is morphine.
And I say this as someone born in the gulf, and who lived there for 15 years, and retain many happy memories of the place (though oman is much more in touch with its soul than dubai, but Im biased there :))
Although bits of that documentary have been exaggerated, what ravage says holds true.
Dubai, for tourists is a great place (I love it as a resident too) but it does come with it's con's. Healthcare is great, but you have to have proper documents and papers to obtain health cards. It's not easy and u're bound to lose u're patience inbetween.
Arabian Ranches is a nice area, but people living there flock together and I can't really call it a 'posh' area. Jumeira Beach Road, Marina I would classify as posh places to live.
I don't what planet Dubaiwali lives in, but I have extended family who are naturalized Emiratis. Came to Sharjah in the 50s. And despite living there now for half a century, they still experience racism. And they live in Khawaneej, which is very Arab.
The Emiratis are intensely anti-Pakistani, and thats a fact. I can't say the same about the Brits. Some are and some aren't.
I can’t really say if they’re anti-Pakistani’s. I havn’t come across any though! They married a lot of Balouchi’s.. many Emirati men want Pakistani wives too. But yeh inspite of the costs and everything being more expensive, Dubai does grow on you
