Kimedin87

Hello, I have joined this page to hopefully get some clear information from people who are living in Dubai or has had experience with living there.

My partner has been offered a job in the financial sector and this seems to be a great opportunity but we are wanting to both go over and experience this opportunity together.

The issues we have is as soon as I search unmarried couples online it comes up in bold writing it is illegal for unmarried couples to live together and people can easily call the police and report us which can result in some legal issues.

We are so worried that this could be the case and there is no clear information. We were also hoping to flat share with other expats but its difficult to find places that will have unmarried couples.

We also don't know which area in Dubai to live in but our main concern is whether we can both go together.

Any further advice would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks,
Kim

scot47

The information is clear. It is illegal.

Sorry to be so blunt.

Millhouse

The issue is less you living together (which is illegal but widely practised) but your visa status. Unless you have a job, there is no visa for you - he cannot sponsor you unless married. So you have the choice of 30-60day tourist runs (a pain pre-covid, now near impossible and alternatives are expensive). Or you get an illegal visa off a local for 10k for the year and hope he doesn't cancel it soon after you get it so he can sell it again.

Good luck.

Kimedin87

hi thank you for your reply, i am planning on getting a job also as i am a nursery practitioner and there are many jobs in Dubai that cover the criteria. It was more the issue with living together when unmarried. Which doesn't sound like it is easy to do. Not sure what the right step is for us moving forward.
many thanks
Kim

Pulaski

But there's a very easy solution.

I am mystified why people are prepared to intertwine their lives, and in some cases such as this one, to follow each other half way across the world as a "combined family unit" but aren't willing to spend 30 minutes and little more than pocket change on a certiifcate that registers their combinedness.

DXBtoDOH

Financial sector?

Looking to flatshare with other expats (in other words no proper housing allowance or salary or relocation expenses)?

Uh...err... uh... let me guess, an advisory entity that starts with D?

Ah. Yes. Probably.

Cohabiting is the last thing you should be concerned about at this point.

scot47

If there is no "impediment", just get married !

Kimedin87

I get what you mean about marriage but we don't want to get married out on necessity.

The flat share is for meeting people and forming friendships it was recommended to help settle in to Dubai.

My partner is getting paid for his job with commission but if you know some further information regarding Dubai or the financial sector jobs there that we need to be aware of please do pass it on as this is our first ever move to a new country and we are trying to find out as much information needed.

christmasoompa

It may be unromantic, but getting married so that you can live in the same country/don't get thrown in prison, seem pretty good reasons to me!

I'll get my hat.

christmasoompa

DXB was referring to a specific company that starts with D. I don't live in Dubai or have any knowledge of the financial sector, but just reading on this forum over the years I'd guess I know the company he's talking about (6 letters DXB?!).

If the company isn't who he thinks it is, then I'm sure you'll be fine - if in doubt you can search the forum or mention the company name on here, you may find others that have worked for them too and will have some experience to share.

DXBtoDOH

Kim, let's assume this is indeed the company that begins with D, it has a long history and controversial history of bringing out highly inexperienced people on paltry base salaries with promises of easy money, streets paved in gold, fat commissions and bonuses along with fake promises of helping them with obtaining proper IFA qualifications, then dumping them into the shark infested waters that is Dubai, refusing to support them, asking them to pay their visa costs (illegal in the UAE), pressuring them to sell extremely bad investment schemes (which you do so via very aggressive sales tactics, LinkedIn and illegally obtained mobile numbers), and after you've failed, which virtually all the new advisers do, you're kicked out and on the plane back to the UK in worse financial shape than when you first came out. Most of the advisers can't make enough off commissions to support themselves in Dubai so can easily run into debt and trouble with the authorities if they don't manage to first bail out of the country once the party ends, which is usually around six months after arrival. It's a conveyor belt of baby-faced advisers in and out of the UAE.

"D" are scammers, plain and short.

https://www.biznews.com/uk-investing...xpats-us-probe

https://www.reddit.com/r/dubai/comme..._that_seems_a/

Pulaski

Hang on, this "D . . . . . ", is this the name that cannot be displayed in the British Expats forums?

Gavtek

Didn't they stop using that name because it became so toxic and are now using A****?

Pulaski

D . . . . . still seems to exist under that name, and they bought out a UAE based company last year named C . . . . . . .

Millhouse

Don’t be assuming there are a tonne of nursery jobs or that they will be well paid (or come with a visa).

Nursery staff might get 4K (if you’re western and on a husbands visa). 2.5k if you’re competing with the Asian worker that needs a visa.

the financial advisor won’t earn much, less so if it’s a commission only role.