Why affluent Indian expats are following Shah Rukh Khan and Sania Mirza to Dubai

Karan Aggarwal, 54, is a businessman with commercial interests across India and the Middle East. Over the years he has often considered moving to Dubai or at least buying a second home there.

Now, fuelled in part by the coronavirus pandemic, he has finally taken the plunge, relocating to the emirate with his family.

The Aggarwals are far from alone. They are part of a new wave of wealthy Indians flocking to Dubai who have been lured by its sparkling clean streets, world-class infrastructure and - whisper it - tax-free policies.

Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.

While Dubai - one of seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates - has long been a favourite with blue collar Indians, its latest incarnation is as a haven for more affluent Indians who have settled there over the past two years. Many of them first went to get jabbed with Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine, which is not available in India, and took their children and nannies with them. The emirate's Golden Visa scheme, introduced in 2019, has also proved a lure.

"It was a no-brainer moving to Dubai. It's the perfect confluence of a global lifestyle blended with my Indian culture. I had the opportunity to work at a world-class hospital. Proximity to my homeland, a safe environment and world-class facilities made it an easy destination to move to," said Dr Rajesh Pattanayak, Chief of anaesthesia at the American Hospital, Dubai.

Dubai is also where upwardly mobile Indians go to shop, trade or party. Its nightclubs are buzzing, its shopping malls glitzy and its beaches sizzling.

Expatriates, of more than 180 nationalities, make up about 90 per cent of Dubai's population of more than 3.3 million. They have helped create and run its malls, restaurants, hospitals and five-star hotels.

The first influx of Indian workers to Dubai came after the discovery of oil in the 1960s. Today Indians form nearly 28 per cent of the population of the UAE, with significant communities in Dubai's neighbouring emirates Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. For many, an added draw is the country's proximity to home - with flights back lasting just a few hours.

For years, many Indians associated Dubai with construction work and menial jobs that the local Emiratis did not want to do.

But times are changing and members of the Indian community are employed in a wide range of roles and industries, from labourers to white-collar workers to entrepreneurs. Many are in the fields of banking, consultancy, PR, finance and health care.

Indian entrepreneurs have been hugely successful and are behind some of the best-known brands locally, from Aster Dm Healthcare to Lulu's Hypermarket and Joyalukkas Jewellery.

Indians are also among the top investors in real estate in Dubai, with many buying second homes there.

"Dubai is like India in its class structures - so rich Indians living in villas and owning flashy cars like Bentleys and children going to prestigious schools is a status symbol just like in India," said one Indian expatriate.

From cricket matches to Bollywood premieres, everything Indian finds a place in Dubai. Indians also enjoy all the creature comforts like malls, cinemas and theme parks, besides English schools and Indian stores.

During the pandemic, many Indian expats - both professionals and blue-collar workers - lost their jobs as businesses folded and had to leave the country as their visas were linked to their jobs.

In 2019, to rectify the economic upheaval caused by the pandemic, the UAE introduced the Golden Visa, which offered long-term residence (of five or 10 years) and granted its holders the use of medical facilities.

The visa was open to investors willing to invest 10 million dirhams (US$2.7 million), entrepreneurs and talented people in the fields of art, literature and culture, heritage, history and sports. Celebrities from Shah Rukh Khan, the Bollywood actor, to Sania Mirza, the tennis champion, were among those granted a Golden Visa.

Many wealth management funds are nominating their high-net-worth clients for these Golden Visas.

"In recent times, wealthy Indians have been flocking to Dubai along with their families and businesses, making it their new home. Today about 85 per cent of the expatriate population is Asian, primarily from India which accounts for nearly 51 per cent," said Shalini Lambah, country head of Migrate India, which offers services from citizenship to residency and real estate.

"Ease of doing business and a tax-friendly environment coupled with the ability to get an immediate residency status makes it a prime choice for the high-net-worth Indian," Lambah added.

Mona Biswarupa Mohanty, a well-known artist from Odisha, is another recipient of the Golden Visa.

"Dubai feels like Mumbai, it is relaxed and still has a certain energy. When I first landed here I was not happy at living in a concrete jungle of glitz, but with the passing years, I have been happy to be part of this tolerant, multicultural city that is great at following rules.

"I moved to Dubai as a design professional. But the buzzing art scene of this place stirred up my creative expression, and became a catalyst in inspiring me to leave my job and take up art full time. Being granted a Golden Visa in the field of art speaks volumes about how valuable art and culture is for this land. With great international art fairs, exhibitions, galleries and collectors, a supportive art fraternity, a multicultural experience and encouragement from the government, I feel the UAE is a great place for any artist."

Still, not everyone feels Dubai is a paradise.

One resident said that the intense heat of the desert made physical exercise impossible except in the winter months.

"Most of your life is spent in an air-conditioned environment. Most of the food is imported from abroad with artificial preservatives to survive the summers here. And it's not as safe as it's made out to be. There are robberies in affluent localities, which is bound to happen given the contrast between the lifestyles of the rich and the poor here. The salaries are not as high as they once were but rents have still risen."

This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (SCMP).

Copyright (c) 2022. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.