The United Arab Emirates is an increasingly attractive destination for educated and highly skilled workers from non-Western countries looking for a comfortable place to live, work, and raise their kids, even choosing the UAE over Western destinations. These are just some of the initial findings of a series of studies conducted by NYUAD’s Professor of Social Research and Public Policy, Anju Mary Paul.
These projects examine what Paul calls a “post-West world of migration.” It's not that the West isn't a very popular destination,” said Paul, “but there are now alternatives outside of the West that are also very attractive for highly skilled migrants.”
Paul’s research focuses on non-white and non-Western high-skilled expatriates from South Asia, the Middle East, and Sub-Saharan Africa. They work in different types of multinational corporations and have lived in the UAE for at least a year. She said her research explores what drives people to move to the UAE when they have other country options.
“Typically, we imagine that citizenship in the West is what many migrants from Global South countries are aiming for,” Paul said. “But this assumption is largely based on literature from the United States and Western Europe, where there is a pathway to citizenship for high-skilled immigrants and higher income and lifestyle amenities they might not be able to enjoy in their home countries. So, the UAE and other Gulf countries are interesting test cases because they are also high-income destination countries. But, they don't offer a pathway to citizenship to most migrants. These countries now offer many lifestyle benefits but not citizenship. So, this lets us test if the West is still as attractive as it used to be?”
A citizen of the world herself, Paul has moved a lot, living in India, the UK, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, and the US. She recently chose the UAE as her new home and became curious about the country and the many non-Western expatriates who have lived here for many years. Why do they remain in the UAE despite not being eligible for citizenship? Trying to answer this puzzle is why she started this research project.
“What we found when interviewing high-skilled Indian women for one of my papers is that these migrants would rather enjoy comfortable transience in the UAE over an imagined uncomfortable permanence either in their home country or the West,” Paul said. “There is a sense that, you know, ‘yes, I can get citizenship in the West, but my life there might not be as comfortable.’”
Some non-Western professionals who participated in another survey Paul conducted either lived in the West previously or received offers to move there but chose the UAE instead. According to Paul’s findings, these expats were drawn to UAE’s lifestyle, safety, absence of income tax, easy access to their traditional food, religious tolerance, and cultural acceptance.
The next question Paul asks is what these highly skilled and educated migrants want for their children. In another project, Paul investigates the large South Asian community in UAE and their higher education aspirations for their children. Do they want their children to return to their home country for university or study in a Western country with the possibility of settling in the West? Or would they prefer their children to study in the UAE itself so their children can transition from a dependent visa to a work visa in the UAE?
As for her future, Paul said she is thrilled about the many research opportunities at NYUAD and learning from her multinational group of students.
“There are all these possible research projects that are very cool and well supported by the university that you can dream up here. The sense of potential is very exciting,” Paul said.
