Popular sentiment in Dubai is slowly pushing for more options to be discussed when it comes to expatriate residency in the Emirates.

Currently, expatriates from non Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are required to have a valid employment visa to work in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and a valid residency visa in order to rent a property, open bank accounts or buy cars.

There are also family residency visas for those wishing to move with their spouse, children or parents. And for those entering the UAE searching for a job, a visit visa will have to be issued which can be transferred to a residency visa once they have found employment.

However, in most cases, visas have to be renewed and individuals may be a required to leave the country and return in order to ‘activate’ or renew their visa.
Additional complications arise with many governments in the Gulf being prone to frequently changing visa rules and regulations.

At present, there is no long term residency program available for expatriates, which has cemented the trend of foreign workers merely being passersby and only having a fleeting stake in the country.

For these very reasons, there is a general call for change when it comes to establishing foreigners as more long term investors and contributors in the UAE.

The Abu Dhabi Police, for instance, have made a pioneering step in making expatriates stakeholders by recruiting non-Emiratis into the force. This is part of a new pilot program to deal with issues such as crime prevention, antisocial behavior and dangerous driving.

Another strong argument for long term residency is that expatriates who are reaching retirement age are being asked to leave which inevitably means taking their accumulated wealth with them. Although these expats have not actually adopted Emirati customs or necessarily learned the language, they have worked for a long time in the country, contributing to the UAE’s economy and some have even raised their families there. Many would also consider staying on after retirement age if the option was open to them.

Granting these residents a longer term home in the UAE would stop people from seeing the Emirates as a short-term investment and start spending their wealth in the country rather than taking it back home.

While granting a UAE passport or citizenship to such foreign workers is unrealistic at this stage, for advocates of long term residencies, granting such permits to specific foreign workers would a welcomed move in the right direction.

References:
Financial Times
The National
Ten Guide – The United Arab Emirates network

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