Why the UAE is the place to live, work and retire

Today’s work environment is changing – employers and employees must be prepared to work differently over the coming years.

These new approaches are not just simply a response to the pandemic, but rather a desire for greater flexibility and freedom in how, when and where we work, coupled with a seismic shift towards ‘softer’ skills, more empathy in the workplace, and an enhancement in employee empowerment.

There are enormous opportunities in the UAE not only for employees, entrepreneurs, investors and their families but also for SMEs and multinationals, with the government providing a business-friendly legal framework combined with world-class infrastructure. The UAE, keen to stay ahead of the times in providing a word-class legal and regulatory framework, has implemented various new initiatives and projects in recent years.

In light of the latest pandemic-related worldwide work and movement restrictions, the government implemented a ‘remote work visa’.

Ratified by the federal government in March 2021, the one-year remote work visa enables overseas remote-working professionals to live in the Emirates while continuing to serve their employers in their home country. So-called ‘digital nomads’ are on the rise, and the UAE is creating an environment where they can enjoy all the benefits of rich ex-pat life in a multicultural society.

Moreover, providing a more flexible approach for applicants in all life stages, the UAE government has extended the eligibility for visas, implementing additional visa categories such as real estate, retirement and ‘golden visa’. These new visa types are designed to encourage entrepreneurs, privatiers and their families to relocate to the Emirates. Especially, the ten-year golden visa scheme launched in May 2019, which gives exceptional workers, talents and foreign investors the opportunity to remain in the country on a long-term basis.

The newly implemented long-term visa options, providing a higher sense of stability, are issued to qualified people (and their families) for five or ten years. Earlier this year, the UAE government set out plans to allow non-Emiratis to obtain UAE citizenship for the first time. Under the scheme, skilled professionals who have made tangible contributions to the world of science or the arts can be nominated by government or royal court officials as a candidate for citizenship.

“Operation 300bn” is another example of the government’s long-term strategy to create opportunities to diversify the UAE’s economy. This initiative will help develop the UAE’s industrial base and generate local added value.

These initiatives really underline the changing nature of the UAE’s approach to the visa regulation, citizenship and creating a truly inclusive society.

Fostering good business practices and actively encouraging economic growth are key tenets of the UAE leadership. We are seeing more and more initiatives and projects being implemented with just one goal - to attract global businesspeople and talent to live, work and retire in the Emirates and actually make the UAE their long-term home.

With Expo 2020 Dubai, Dubai will host the world for 182 days – starting on 1 October 2021. With its theme ‘Connecting Minds and Creating the Future’, through sustainability, mobility and opportunity, the world fair aims to increase awareness of the challenges faced by humanity on a global scale.

The six-month Expo is set to be the world's largest meeting place, offering many opportunities for networking and promoting international relationships. Many international firms – not least of which, Swiss firms – are now looking to set up in the UAE, on the back of the economic benefits the Expo event will deliver.

While the UAE has obviously always been a global trading hub, today’s focus lays on digitisation, smart city technology, artificial intelligence (AI) and being a country that recognises and celebrates global diversity.

Everyone can take full advantage of the benefits of living, working or conducting business in the UAE; whether it’s a start-up or a branch of a major multinational.