As the news about a Golden Visa that awarded permanent residency in the UAE for just R23 lakh turned out to be fake last week, many were left disheartened. Sunday mid-day asked Indians what’s the draw
Archita Bhatia, who moved from Mumbai, at City Walk, Dubai
If the American dream is white picket fences, married with kids, a 9-5 job with stable income, then the Indian dream is moving abroad. It’s the ultimate goal to earn in a foreign currency and live in an unknown land. Everyone you know has an NRI cousin; and for decades, that cousin has stayed in the US or UK. But last week, when news spread of paying Rs 23 lakh (approx) to get a Golden Visa in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), there was a happy buzz everywhere of people wanting to move to Dubai, a city whose name is used almost interchangeably with the UAE. But them, it turned out that the news was fake. The Golden Visa does exist though — it is a Green Card equivalent for residence in the UAE. It offers 5-10 years of residency in the country. You can also sponsor your own family through it. However, it’s only open to doctors, scientists, executive directors, athletes, doctorate holders, creative artists, inventors, or students with outstanding performance. Even the immigration policy makes it clear that the UAE is open to skilled, educated, and talented people only.
In an environment where US President Donald Trump has created a fear of immigration in the minds of so many, moving to Dubai is becoming the dream of many more. Sunday mid-day investigates what might be causing this sudden interest.
According to 2024 data from the Indian Embassy of UAE, the Indian expatriate community is the largest ethnic community in UAE, amounting to about 43 lakh Indians, constituting roughly about 35 per cent of the entire population of the country.
Archita Bhatia
Akanksha Maheswari, a 30-year-old working professional, is currently in the process of relocating. Since her first ever visit to Dubai, she has been enthralled with what the city has to offer. “In 2019, when I was working with the Wedding Filmer, I went there for a conference. I was living in Mumbai at the time, but I had never seen a city like that. It was like Mumbai but a pro max version; if we solved all our infrastructure problems.” Maheshwari later relocated to Ahmedabad, where she currently resides.
Maheshwari was disheartened to hear of the Golden Visa news being fake. “I’m looking at relocation opportunities in Mumbai for now. But take this case, the flats I am looking at, I would roughly pay '1 lakh in rent. If I were to spend that same money in Dubai, I could get so much more out of the city — better infrastructure, better paying jobs, better air quality, so on and so forth,” she continues, “Mumbai is very much home for me, it’s the city that made me who I am and it will always be my favourite city in the world, but Dubai is the way to go to the next level.”
But the exact opposite is the case for Archita Bhatia, a 21-years-old who has lived in Dubai all her life and moved to Mumbai to pursue an undergraduate degree at St Xavier’s College, Mumbai. Her parents were already settled there, her father being of Bahraini origin. “Dubai isn’t just what you see on social media. Yes, it’s shiny and golden, but I have simple memories there. I grew up roller skating around with my friends or eating shawarma, which is Dubai’s answer to vada pav,” she jokes, “When I first moved to Mumbai, people thought I must be surrounded by Sheikhs and all back home. That’s not the case. There are several Indians around you on a daily basis.”
Jay and Suresh Balaram have been living in Dubai for the last 20 years
India has a long history of migration with the UAE and Dubai. Ajit Karnik, an economist and professor at Middlesex University Dubai, was settled in the country himself for over 18 years. He tells us, “The oil boom of the mid-1970s was a major driver for migration to the Middle East. By the early 1980s, there were about 20,000 Indian workers in the UAE. The blue-collar worker supply mainly comes from the Indian states of UP, Bihar, and Kerala. Kerala has a long history of migration, and that is still driving labour there. Blue-collar workers from Bihar and UP are encouraged to migrate because, even though the manual labour salaries in Dubai may not be high, they are still better than what labour can earn in their own states in India.”
“Indian entrepreneurs have flourished in Dubai for decades. The Lulu group, the Landmark group, GEMS Education, Danube group are just some of the major Indian business enterprises. Plus, the ease of doing business makes it easy to set up a business in Dubai. Dubai has also created free zones where foreign businesses do not require a local partner any more. For professionals, the high salaries, and the quality of life are major attractors.”
Though the job opportunities in Dubai are many, they are limited to a very few sectors. Its geographic location makes it a hub for trading businesses. Other booming industries include real estate, fintech, and investment business.
Akanksha Maheshwari is in the process of relocating and was hoping to move to Dubai
Suresh Balaram, 53, a business consultant with a leading American company, says “While it’s true that Dubai may not currently offer the same breadth of IT job opportunities as certain Western counterparts, it’s essential to recognise the unique advantages this vibrant city presents.
“Although it may not yet rival the established tech hubs of the West where the environment and culture promotes innovation, Dubai is rapidly evolving, and on the journey towards attracting the best minds and creating a culture of inclusiveness and openness to foster innovation.”
Balaram has been a resident of Dubai for nearly two decades now with his wife Jay Balaram, an executive at a leading MNC turned homemaker and mother of a 19-year-old. “It’s a bit of what you call the ‘high life’ here. It’s shiny and it’s polished. It’s a fairly young city. I’ve seen it change completely. The World Trade Centre used to be the biggest building in the entirely barren Sheikh Zayed road some 20 years ago. Now, it is the smallest building around,” she laughs.
Keerthana Merame and Ajit Karnik
Dubai is a great option for those who want to raise a family in the city. Indian boards like CBSE and ICSE are widely available. Plus, international boards like IGCSE and IB are also offered. “The children get to study and grow up in a multicultural environment because of the diversity. But they do grow in a little bit of a bubble here. Because life is just so good.”
When asked what the best part of the city for her is, she says, “You can live a comfortable life here. It’s close enough to home. It’s very cosmopolitan, an extended version of Mumbai, if you will.” She continues, “The elders can live here so comfortably. They can head out and shop for groceries, lead a life by themselves, and never feel out of place even for a second. That wouldn’t be the case in the West.”
Keerthana Merame is a finance content creator with more than 3 lakh followers on Instagram who runs Dhee Consultancy, an NRI tax and personal finance consultancy out of Dubai.
She tells us, “The US sold itself to the world on the American dream and they built that dream on the backbones of immigrants. And now, they have turned their backs against those same immigrants. Dubai is very much a city built on immigrants and they know that. In fact, they make expats feel welcome, and they provide them support when needed. I have free legal counsel for three years with my ‘Finfluencer License’. These are the things
that count when you are thinking of relocating to another country.”
Merame adds, “The US built its tech ecosystem over three to four decades. Dubai is so young right now. But in the next 10 years or so, it will emerge as a hub for all kinds of jobs.”
Tax exemption is also one of the biggest draws of the country, with absolutely no income tax. Suresh says, “The tax structure, though featuring a 5% VAT, is advantageous compared to many other nations where significant portions of income are claimed through income tax. This setup contributes to a unique lifestyle, where the lack of income tax is somewhat offset by a relatively high cost of living, primarily driven by the city’s global appeal and high standards of living.” Merame adds, “Nothing is free in Dubai. But, I feel okay spending that extra money because I see the return right in front of my eyes. My money is being put to good use.”
Merame says, “Dubai is not cheap, not at all. But, in my opinion, they are trying to filter who is ambitious, hardworking, who will contribute the most. For its lifestyle and safety, Dubai may charge a premium but at the end they provide value for money.”
Safety is another big attractor of Dubai, especially women’s safety. Bhatia says, “Even Mumbai is very safe. I feel comfortable stepping out at 3 am in both cities. But if I had to choose I would choose Dubai, purely because the adherence to law and order is absolute there.”
Bhatia gives advice for those looking to move to the UAE. “Have clarity and purpose before you go there. It’s not like Mumbai where you can always have a ‘3-am bestie’. People tend to have more boundaries. It’s an amazing city nonetheless, once you get adapted to the culture and lifestyles. Let Dubai make you its own.”
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