Dubai is famous for its glitz and glamour with people moving in the hope they can share in the wealth with jobs and low taxes but in reality many expats are worse off it is claimed
Brits who bought into the Dubai dream for the quality of life and money are now heading back to the UK saying they are actually worse off.
Think of Dubai and people’s minds turn to spectacular wealth with fashion brands, exclusive restaurants and glorious beaches in the oil-rich location. And with the claim of jobs and low crime it has enticed many to move there.
Boxer Amir Khan is one famous figure who recently said that he had decided to uproot and move to Dubai from the UK due to safety after having endured a robbery at gunpoint.
But sadly it may not be all it would seem and people have complained of everything from the lack of “soul” to actually poor working conditions. And surprisingly people are leaving due to the lack of job security.
There are more than 240,000 Brit expats thought to be living in Dubai now which has gone up considerably in recent years. And those heading back have highlighted the drawbacks which include the difficulty to get permission for permanent settlement while people can actually feel worse off overall despite low taxes.
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YouTube influencer and relocation advisor Sarika Dubey told the Mail: “The United Arab Emirates doesn’t provide a permanent settlement, however many years you’ve been in residence. As long as you’ve got a job you can continue working there, but you can’t settle.
“And the work-life balance is not great compared to the UK – you’re expected to work well beyond the 9-5 but with the same salary, no compensation.” She also said that the extreme heat is an issue for some people heading from the UK.
“Many people enjoy the weather but there are months when they can barely survive in the heat,” she continued. ‘It can be as high as 50C to 60C. Even carrying your lunch from home to work, it’s likely to spoil. Sister went from India and now living in UK.”
And many people have taken to social media telling of similar problems. British TikToker Izabelle Reid told her followers: “The reasons I left? Personally, Dubai for me is not my favourite place in the world and I’m not really in a rush to go back.
“I was travelling to all these amazing places such as Brazil, I think there’s such a big expressive culture and I feed off that energy and I feel excited – so when I was going back to Dubai, I felt there was an energy missing.
“I felt a bit soulless. I was experiencing really high highs and, coming back from the whirlwind of it all, and feeling tired and homesick. I miss my family. My sister got married in September. Everything fell into place at the right time.”
While another TikTok influencer Sinead Clifford didn’t like the lack of greenery. “Firstly, if you are a nature lover, if you love long walks in the park or just long walks in general, you like greenery, you like getting your 10,000 steps a day, you might actually hate living in Dubai,” she said. “In general, if desert conditions don’t suit you, then Dubai might not be the place for you.”