Moving to the United Arab Emirates was our second immigration. Why we moved to Dubai?
Here are some reasons:
- Good salary and benefits (no income taxes)
- U.A.E. is a very safe country
- Excellent experience and professional development
- We love to learn new things, new cultures and see more of the world
These are the main reasons why we chose Dubai to immigrate. We came here with a job offer from Flydubai. Even though there are other ways to come here, I believe that a job offer is the most common one.
You will get a work visa. There are many things you need to do before you feel finally settled in Dubai.
It is a busy process which includes:
- Medical exams
- Getting Emirates ID (without it you cannot do anything)
- Finding a place to live
- Getting a car (used or new)
- If you are moving without furniture, you need to buy some.
- Cell phone lines/internet (Du or Etisalat)
- Finding a school for the kids
I did all these things together with my Boeing 737 initial course. There is a discussion about what is the best thing to do, coming by yourself at the beginning or come all the family together?
I love to be with my family. We came all together to Dubai. Was it hard? Yes, it was. Especially because we got delayed with some paperwork coming from Venezuela. My recommendation is to make sure what's the exact paperwork you need to bring. Make sure to bring it translated, stamped and attested.
You also need to get your drivers license. For us it was easy because we have Canadian drivers license which basically you can transfer to get the U.A.E. one. If you have a license that does not qualify for a transfer you need to follow a different process. Click here to find out how to do it.
There are many different websites, youtube channels, etc that give you a good idea about living in Dubai. My advise is to check some of them and gather information before coming.
I have learned to respect U.A.E and what they have done here. They care about their people. The Emiratis are only around 12% of the total population in the country (9.900.000 people). They love their country and had to adapt to live with different languages and cultures around them.
Dubai is basically made of expats. When I go to work, I usually fly with a crew totally composed by people from different countries. I really love that because you get to learn many new things.
I find Dubai a nice place to live. However, the main things that have taken me some time to adapt to are:
- Summers are extremely hot with temperatures more than 50 degrees Celsius.
- The way some people drive is just crazy. Despite of radar control, cameras and police; tailgating, cars flashing lights behind you and impaired driving are very common occurrences. I have seen the government trying to do more and more to improve this situation.
Dubai is an unique city, is one of those places that you need to visit at least once in your life. Here, you can enjoy the beaches, restaurants and many world record awarded places.
They are very open minded but please respect their culture. They allow you live and work here. We need to show respect for their believes and culture.
If you come here, enjoy it!!