A place where new businesses thrive, a place where career growth has no limits, and a place that generally lends itself to a better quality of life. Indeed, it should be no surprise that currently 4% of the global population has dreams to relocate to the UAE.
The UAE is credited for making significant progress in focusing on the well-being of its residents. According to a recently released Cigna Global Well-being Survey, the UAE ranks well above the global average in overall well-being with its index growing by 2.1, as opposed to the global growth of only 0.7 since 2021.
But beyond this, the glitz and glamour, some argued that such is the transient nature of Dubai – most people must leave at some point – that settling down and establishing roots in the emirate was perhaps, more difficult than it was elsewhere.
So, it was with great reassurance, that earlier this year, the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Ports Security announced significant changes to the UAE visa system, which they described as a “step that supports the country’s competitiveness in the tourism, economic and educational sectors.”
Whilst this rings true, one of the other benefits this brings is the impact on mental health in the region. Whilst it is far too early to quantify the impact that this has had on UAE residents, academic studies are clear: feeling safe, stable, and secure is central to our health and wellbeing.
As too, are our families. In addition to the five-year safety net that the new Green Visa affords for individuals, perhaps the most significant addition is that the visa also allows holders to relocate their spouses, children, and first-degree relatives, without the need for a sponsor or employer.
Those who have had to leave family behind to pursue dreams in the UAE will be familiar with the heartbreak that it can bring. The ‘airport goodbye’ can leave emotional damage for both those leaving to pastures new and for those left behind, and, as such, the updated regulations are another positive move for the UAE that continues to focus on being a destination that promotes a family-friendly lifestyle.
Going five years better, the much-revered ten-year Golden Visa has also seen a couple of changes. Encouraging both long-term investors and workers in different key disciplines, including arts, culture, medicine, and law, the visa has been expanded to make it easier for exceptional workers, earners of more than AED30,000 a month, to apply. It’s an initiative that will continue to help the region recruit and crucially keep, the world’s top talents, safe in the knowledge that their move to Dubai isn’t going to be a short-term fling.
Whilst, of course, this visa doesn’t apply to everyone, one change does apply to all. Residents with canceled residency visas will now have six months to leave the UAE (or find another job) instead of the current thirty days. The change gives everyone the comfort that if the worse was to happen, they won’t have to pack up and move overnight. With uncertainty regarded as one of the main trigger points for stress, anxiety, and depression, it’s another important step when it comes to looking after well-being.
Green spaces, promoting a healthy work-life balance, and world-leading medical facilities are one thing, but perhaps it is these changes that are the most important as the UAE aims to become a leader in quality of life by 2031.
