The UAE is the sixth-best country for expatriates to move in
The UAE is the sixth-best country for expatriates to move in
The UAE is the sixth-best country for expatriates to move in, of 52 destinations where expats choose to live and work, up from 18th place in 2021, according to a new survey published on Tuesday by Global Network InterNations.
Conducted in February this year, the survey covered five categories: Quality of Life, Ease of Settling In, Working Abroad, Personal Finance, and an Expat Essentials Index, which includes, administration topics, digital life, housing, and language.
Overall, the UAE ranked second in the world in the Expat Essentials Index, and fifth for both the Quality of Life and Working Abroad categories, which refer to career prospects, salary and job security, as well as leisure options, health and well-being, and safety and security.
The UAE, the second-largest economy in the Arab world, has rolled out reforms, to strengthen its business environment, boost FDI (foreign direct investment), attract skilled workers, and provide incentives to companies to set up or expand their operations.
The UAE has set out to make it easier for residents to obtain a visa
In 2019, amendments were introduced to the Golden Residence Scheme to simplify the eligibility criteria and expand the categories of beneficiaries.
The 10-year visa is granted to investors and entrepreneurs, to skilled professionals with a salary of more than Dh30,000 ($8,167) per month, as well as to exceptional talents, scientists and professionals, to outstanding students and graduates, property investors, humanitarian pioneers and front-line heroes, such as the medical staff that has strived to keep the Covid-19 pandemic at bay.
A Green Visa provides a five-year residency for skilled employees, without a sponsor or employer. The minimum educational level must be a bachelor’s degree or equivalent and the salary should not be less than Dh15,000.
Meanwhile, the UAE introduced a one-year digital nomad visa in March 2021 that allows people to live in the Emirates while continuing to work for employers in their home countries, while Dubai also offers a five-year retirement visa for expatriates older than 55.
The country ranks up in several categories
The UAE is placed 13th in the Ease of Settling category, while expatriates admitted to “struggling a bit” in the Personal Finance section, with the UAE coming in at 34th place. Overall, however, 71 percent of foreign workers are happy with their life in the UAE, the survey says.
Meanwhile, the safety and security, and health and well-being subcategories also ranked highly for foreign workers in the UAE, coming in at seventh and ninth place, respectively, the survey found. About 94 per cent of UAE respondents said they were happy with the level of personal safety in the Emirates compared with 81 per cent globally, while 86 per cent said they are also very satisfied with the country’s political stability.