DUBAI LIFE

THE REAL EX-PAT DEAL!

After 7 years as an ex-pat in Dubai, I can say I've pretty much seen this small city grow into a major player on the world's stage... the biggest building in the world, the only 7* hotel, the uninterrupted sunshine, the best hotel and leisure brands, and all of the world's most popular eateries located in one place...lifestyles of the rich and the famous!

To start with, I'll explain about the City. Firstly there is no main 'city centre' there are just parts of town, which are distinct in their own unique ways and separated by the Creek, which runs through the city, very close to Dubai International Airport. Your closeness to the 'centre' of Dubai is judged by distance from the airport. The general consesus is that the south of the city comprising Bur Dubai, Satwa, the eternally famous Jumeirah located by the beach and The Palm Jumeirah, and 'The World' projects, make up the 'better' part of Dubai.

Bur Dubai is very close to the airport, and pretty much built up. It is a fairly old part of town and the dated apartment blocks and offices echo that, compared with 'new Dubai' located near Jumeirah and the Palm, with their state-of-the-art office, business and residential complexes. It is an area popular with Indian and Pakistani nationals.

Satwa is a bizarre mix. Located in between Bur Dubai and Jumeirah, it is multi-ethnic community and houses lots of the Phillipino expats. You can find numerous tailors and cheap food outlets, catering to the cultural mix who live there. Accommodation is generally for expats who share 4 or more to a room and are on a low salary.

Very close by, Jumeirah begins. This is a complete contrast and offers some of the largest and most expensive villas and is built along the famous Jumeirah beach. It is very popular with Western expats and coined the phrase of 'Jumeirah Jane's' for women that go shopping with their husband's credit cards all day.

On that note, life is much more expensive these days and I will update this lens regularly with the choice of jobs (endless), the areas to work in, salaries, visas, schools, real estate and lots more.

DID THE EARTH MOVE FOR YOU?

High-rise buildings were evacuated and people were forced to flee as a strong earthquake in southern Iran sent tremors across the UAE on Wednesday (10th Sep). The 6.1 magnitude quake hit at around 3pm, with its epicentre close to Qishm islands, off Iran.

Mild tremors ranging from 4.8 to 2.8 on the Richter Scale were recorded across the UAE.People in Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi and Ajman felt the tremors with many leaving their buildings as they worried about what was happening. Although many offices were evacuated, and people were literally 'shook up', there were no injuries, and no damage to buildings were reported.

I personally felt the whole apartment shake (we're on the 2nd floor) and some of the plaster on the walls started to crumble. Although a little disconcerting, it was over very quickly, with no further tremors.

Acutal earthquakes in Dubai are extremely uncommon, however neighbouring Iran is a hotspot for seismic activity, so there is always the possibility of tremors being felt.

In general however, the weather is hot, hot hot! It is a desert and the sun shines at least 50 weeks of the year. It can be very humid between July and September, so that combined with temperatures of 45 degrees+, can be pretty unbearable.

Having said that, the last 3-4 years have not been so unpleasant, there has been a marked drop in the humidity during the Summer and Winters too, are much cooler.

We are in the Northern hemisphere so the seasons are the same as UK/US/Europe, only this is a desert, so it's much more exaggerated in the Summer months. I'll break it down like this:

SUMMER: JUNE TO END SEPTEMBER
TEMP: 35-45 DEGREES
HUMIDITY: MEDIUM TO HIGH 30-50%+ ON AVERAGE

AUTUMN: OCTOBER TO MID DECEMBER
PERFECT HOLIDAY WEATHER 25-35 DEGREES
HUMIDITY LOW TO MEDIUM 15-30% MAX

WINTER: JAN TO END FEB
WEATHER VER MIXED, SOME RAIN, DARK CLOUDS
18-25 DEGREES, LOWER AT NIGHT
HUMIDITY LOW
FIND YOUR JUMPERS, SOCKS AND BOOTS

SPRING: MARCH-END MAY
SECOND MOST POPULAR TIME TO VISIT
25 - 35 DEGREES
LOW HUMIDITY, BEAUTIFUL EVENINGS

Of course, this is a guide (day time temperatures) but over the past 7 years, this has been my experience.

This Summer has been particularly good, with locals and expats using the beach during July and August, which is almost unheard of... and also how you can spot a tourist!!

While you're away, leave your home and pets in safe hands. For housesitters Click Here! and for petsitters Click Here!

Of course no lens on Dubai would be complete without discussing shopping! As soon as you step of the plane in Dubai, you are greated with the world's best duty free shopping, with this being just a 'taster' of what's on offer in the Malls.

When I first moved to Dubai in 2001, there were only a couple of decent malls... now there are monsters where you could spend days, weeks and months getting around them!

Having said that, they are super! Let's start with the first super mall to put the Dubai 'extraordinary' experience on the map. Mall of The Emirates opened amongst great fanfare as it was to house the region's only and largest indoor ski park ...Ski Dubai. It is indeed a great shopping experience and to complement the skiing, there is every mod con available you could imagine, including the obligatory Starbucks, Cinnabon, Virgin Megastore and the only Harvey Nichols outside of London.

The Mall was a massive hit, so as is the norm in Dubai, it was time to move onto bigger and better things... enter Dubai Mall. At the time of writing this we are still waiting for this whopper of a Mall to open. Placed strategically next to the world tallest building, 'Burj Dubai' (not to be confused with the Burj Al Arab), it is in a league of its own - so much so, it is being labelled as the 'new centre of the earth' by all the clever marketing people!

THE MALL BOULEVARD

So let's take a peak - here's a quick review of what to expect:

The Dubai Mall offers not only unprecedented scale but also revolutionary design, challenging everything you've come to expect from a mall.

THE AQUARIUM

World-class Aquarium and educational Discovery Centre

World's largest indoor Gold Souk

Fashion Avenue dedicated to haute couture

Indoor Olympic-size Ice Rink, which can be covered to hold world class events and music concerts

SEGA indoor theme park

Innovative children's 'edu-tainment' concept, KidZania

Exclusive access to the Burj Dubai, the world's tallest tower

22-screen Cineplex

The Grove, an indoor-outdoor streetscap, which will be completely temperature controlled allowing the roof to be open in the Summer yet cool enough to sit outside!

Region's first Galeries Lafayette department store, Bloomingdales...and so much more!

FUTURISTIC INTERIORS

Did you know?
Over 1,200 stores
14,000 car parking spaces
120 food & beverage outlets

With an impressive array of leisure pursuits, this is the ultimate, cutting-edge shopping experience. A range of adventure sports vies for attention alongside the pleasures of ice-skating. The Dubai Mall is a place where outdoor brunch can be followed by the delights of the big screen and where a 21st century gold souk is set off against a world class aquarium. When was the last time your sortie to the designer stores took place under the watchful eye of a giant sea turtle? Step inside The Dubai Mall and experience a place like no other.

It is due to open the end of October 2008, when I hope to update replace the images with real photographs and give the lowdown on the Dubai Mall Experience!

Here's the latest news about residence visas in conjunction with owning property in Dubai.

When properties were first offered for sale in specifically assigned freehold area, the owner would be granted the right to a resident's visa - being sponsored by the Master Developer i.e. Nakheel or Emaar. This appeared to be the case until recently, when it was stipulated by Nakheel that they are withdrawing the 'automatic' visa on purchase of a property. It was not stated why this had changed, one can only assume that it was being abused in some way, for example, a person buying a villa or apartment for their own use, would take the residency visa and then flip the property quickly (this was extremely common during the original property super boom - and continues on some developements.) The property could be sold on at a major profit, and possibly the residency not cancelled at the same time, giving some individuals an easy resident's visa status.

As it stands now, it has not been confirmed whether any property purchase will come with an 'instant' residency visa in Dubai, although the neighbouring Emirate of Ajman (around 45 minutes drive on a good day!) have confirmed that they will indeed grant a resident's visa on purchase of any property... no doubt to pick up the excess business from any people sitting on the fence, regarding the issuance or non-issuance of a visa, allowing unlimited stay and access to their property.

A residents visa is not the same as an employment visa, and if one wants to work, it will be necessary to obtain a labour card from your employer, or apply for a licence if you are thinking of starting your own company.

Regarding working in a Free Zone; no visa bans are applicable here, so some of the local government rules are not applicable here. It is guaranteed that your company will not pay tax for the next 50 years, even if it is introduced (as expected) at some point in the future. However, in theory, one is only meant to do business with other companies inside the Free Zone, thereby limiting business opportunities. There are, I'm sure, ways around this, but that is the rule of thumb. If you want to trade anywhere in the country, region or indeed the rest of the world, it is best to apply for an LLC licence.

THE PALM JUMEIRAH

The brain child of Master Developer Nakheel (one of the two main government property developers), was the 'Palm Trilogy'. Three palm shaped islands in ever increasing size - and visible from space, comprise of deluxe apartments, villas, marinas, hotels and leisure complexes. These, on completion, will offer an unrivalled lifestyle inclusive of all mod-cons where people can enjoy 'palm life'.

Property prices at the outset off-plan in 2001, were fairly moderate, around 3 million dirhams, approximately $800,000 ($1= 3.68 dhs) for a 4/5 bedroom villa directly on the beach with swimming pool, fully fitted kitchen, large living space, maids room (common here) and of course, all bedrooms en-suite. On completion in early 2007, the prices had skyrocketed. That same villa is now worth around 15,000,000 dirhams, that's five times the launch price in only 6 years! The rental prices are around 500,000 dirhams per year, making a tidy sum for those who got in early.

The whole Palm Jumeirah is now coming to fruition. Some of the first deluxe apartments to be completed were the Shoreline Apartments, 20 blocks lining the trunk of the Palm, with half located directly on the beach and the other half on the opposite side of the road facing The Golden Mile and Trump International Hotel and Tower Dubai. The Shoreline Apartments comprise of 1,2 and 3 bedroom (either sea or road facing) plus a small number of duplex penthouses. The price for a 2 bedroom sea facing is at least 4,500,000 dirhams. They were originally sold for around 800,000 dirhams.

ARTISTS IMPRESSION OF TRUMP INTERNATIONAL HOTEL AND TOWER

It is a very new market, but the laws are tightening up all the time, and although a crash in prices is not expected, a levelling off is. Having said that, it is still an excellent investment, especially for some of the new Palm apartment projects just coming up to completion, including Tiara Residence, Oceana and Marina Residences.

This is the time to visit Dubai and see if an investment is right for you. To help you find the cheapest flights to Dubai or any destination Click Here!

While you're away, know that your home and pets are in safe hands giving you piece of mind to enjoy every moment of your trip. For housesitters Click Here! and for petsitters Click Here!

JOB SEEKING

If you are currently living outside of Dubai and are hoping to find a job here, my first piece of advice is to come here!

Get yourself to Dubai, visit friends, have a mini-holiday and job finding session in one... but get here if you can.

Most of the decent Recruitment Agencies who deal with managerial posts in the top fields of Oil, IT, Media and the such, would require you to be in the country before they would even consider you. Don't be ruled out of the running just because you think it's not necessary to be here. Most of the 'golden opportunities' are right here, right now. Always, always put a photograph on a C.V. for Dubai, as it is a prerequisite here. Also a local contact number. It may be worth investing in a cheap SIM card with either Etisalat or Du, who both have visitors packages.

There are opportunities within recruitment agencies in other countries who deal with overseas recruitment - this is common in the hotel/hospitality industry. In this instance, you will be assessed initially by the agency in your country, then the prospective employer will be sent your C.V. If they like what they see, then a prelimiary 'telephone' interview will be set up. If all goes will, only at this stage will you be flown out for an interview. The bonus to doing this, is that you will likely be hired on a 'full' expat package, including flights home every year to your country of origin, as opposed to being hired from Dubai, where you can be considered 'local hire' and often given just one lump sum to cover everything.

For overseas opportunities from your own country, try Executive Search International. For jobs in Dubai I suggest, Kershaw Leonard, Charterhouse, Clarendon Parker and BAC. Also the on-line magazine Expatwoman.com has an excellent jobs page. A lot of jobs however are found in The Gulf News Jobs Section. This is the most respected paper here and has endless pull out sections, to keep you busy for days.

VISAS AND SPONSORSHIP FOR DUBAI

This was already a minefield, at least for the processing, but now Dubai Immigration and Naturalisation, has devised a list of multiple categories to encompass all types of travellers. The reason behind it is that the 'visit visa', which was given on entry for certain countries or bought with the ticket from others e.g. The Phillipines, was being abused. People were entering on a visit visa and after the 30 days, going on what is commonly known as a visa run. This is the exercise of exiting the country to come back in on a new 30 day visit visa... and so it goes on.

This would then fly in the face of employment bans, which is a very emotive subject. The law still states that if anybody leaves their place of employment within the first year, they are liable for an immediate 6 month labour ban. This is purely to do with employment and is separate from an Immigration ban, which is 1 year in length and normally issued for misdemeanours of a serious nature like theft or other punishable offences.

To exploit the 6 month labour ban, many workers would continue working on a 'ban', and just exit the country twice, until the ban was over, and then they could go onto the sponsorship of their new employer.

At this point, it's safe to say that most managerial roles do not initiate a ban if the employee leaves, and there are many great corporations who do not ban staff of any level. This is refreshing, as there are some companies who abuse the rule and threaten to ban people if the resign or ask for a promotion/pay raise.

The contract states the role and most commonly for lower paid staff, the duration of the contract. If the employee breaks that contract at anytime, the are liable for a ban.

THE NOC (No Objection Certificate)

The NOC is what is required to 'safely' transfer from one job to another. If you choose to leave a company within the term of your contract, and the employer is happy to let you go, they still have to produce an NOC. This is actually a brief letter stating the employees name and passport number, the company's details, or employers details (if working for an individual) and clearly wording their agreement to let the employee transfer without a ban to the next emmployer. This is shown during the visa process, and as long as an NOC is obtained, there is no ban applicable.

THE VISA PROCESS

The visa process can be painful, therefore the job is done by a company 'PRO' or public relations officer (but not in the sense of an advertising or marketing role). If it is an individual applying for a visa for a housekeeper, driver etc, there are 'company formation' companies who will do this for a fee. The very brave can go to immigration themselves, but this can be a very long and arduous process as you are passed from one desk to another; to get a signature, pay a deposit, get a translation typed or wait for a stamp. I recommend wholeheartedly using a start-up company, who use their regular contacts at immigration, while you have a coffee!

It is also necessary for the individual who's having a visa processed to have to exit the country to go from visit visa to working visa status again. Previously this could be waived if you paid a fee. Recently it has been (re)introduced that one applying for a visa will have to return to their country of origin during the process and re-enter Dubai when the visa is ready. However, it is not clear at the moment, which nationalities have to do this and which can opt for the usual system of going on a 'visa run'. Most of the time people fly to Doha in Qatar. You fly out to Qatar (around 45 minutes duration), enter the door, do not pass through immigration but go through transit, enter the departure lounge, and come straight back on the same plane which brought you out. It is just a formality for changing visa purposes. Another way was to drive to another Emirate within the UAE called Hatta and have your passport stamped there - although the point behind that is that you should be driving to the Omani border (but this doesn't seem to be enforced at present.)

MEDICAL

It is a pre-requisite to have a medical and pass it, before your visa is finally processed. This entails a blood test and chest X-Ray. If you are found to be HIV+ or have Hepatitis C, you will be immediately refused and deported. This is under discussion, but as yet (September 2008) the rule remains. It is also imperative to have valid medical insurance to enter the country, even on a tourist visa.

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Up-to-date Visa Guidelines are stated below:

GCC NATIONALS

Visa requirements for entering Dubai vary greatly between different nationalities and it is always advised to check regulations before traveling. Currently, every nationality entering the UAE needs a visa except citizens of GCC countries (Gulf Cooperation Council: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia) expatriate residents of the GCC (certain nationalities and professions) and British citizens with the right of abode in the UK. The following citizens of Europe also receive visas on arrival citizens of : Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the Vatican.

In addition, nationals from Australia, Brunei, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore and South Korea in Asia, as well as those from the United States of America and Canada also now receive Visas on arrival.

GCC nationals can stay more or less as long they like. British citizens can stay for a month and then apply for a visa for a further two months. European, American, South African and Australian citizens may obtain a visit visa from the UAE embassy in their respective countries before departure. Please note that Israelis and travelers whose Passports bear Israeli stamps will be denied a visa.

OTHER NATIONALS

For all other nationalities, a visa must be applied for before the visitor enters the country either through their respective embassy, a local UAE sponsor or a local hotel.

VISAS THROUGH HOTELS

Tourists can get a visa from a tourist company or a hotel by first making a reservation for at least one night. They must fax/courier the hotel a copy of their passport along with the reason for the visit (tourism is an acceptable reason) and their arrival date. You must also make sure that the hotel faxes you a copy of the visa when it is ready. Airlines may require confirmation (preferably a fax copy of the document) that a visa is held before check-in at the airport. The original is held at Dubai Airport for collection before passport control.

TOURIST VISA

This visa is issued through tourist companies and it is valid for 30 days. It You cannot renew it or extend it. If the Visa holder of the tourist visa stays more than the 30 days, that person has to pay a fine per day plus some charges are for an out pass.

VISIT VISA

Visa is issued through Dubai Naturalisation and Residency Department. It is stamped for 30 days validity but it is valid for 60 days and can be extended for 30 more days by paying some amount. The extension needs to be done before the 60th day. If the visitor stay more than 60 days or more than 90 days (after the extension) they will have to pay a fine per day plus some charges for an out pass.

Certain passport holders can enter the UAE without obtaining a visit visa prior to arrival and stay up to 30 days.

Documents required:

Photocopy of the visitor's passport
Visit Visa Application form, completed and signed by the sponsoring company.
Photocopy of the trade license of the company
A Guarantee letter from the company stating its responsibility of the visitor during his visit.

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