Salma Ali* has lived in Australia since 2016, but says that if she had returned in time, she would have stayed in the Persian Gulf region.
A professional couple, Ms. Ali* and her husband lived and worked in Saudi Arabia between 2005 and 2016, and enjoyed the benefits of living in this oil-rich country, from reasonable domestic income to tax-free income.
“Although I run full-time, I found time for myself and to faint with my friends,” Ali* says.
I myself did not do any family chores.
Ms. Ali* describes how wages in the Gulf countries were lucrative and how some packages included additional benefits.
Strengths
“Some corporations have provided housing for their workers and paid school fees for children abroad,” he said.
Ms. Ali* says she misses the extra free time in the UAE she can spend shopping for groceries with friends. Getty Images/Svetlana Zibnitskaya
He compares his way of life in Saudi Arabia to his own in Australia, lamenting the loss of monetary benefits.
Although he is a dentist, he says he has been a little here to save money. This adds to the exhaustion she suffers because she endures most of the family tasks.
“It’s hard to get domestic food here in Australia or even order takeout because of the cost,” she says.
Another disadvantage of living in Australia, according to Ali*, is the difficulty of traveling to the Arab world due to the long distances and high costs.
Ms. Ali* said she remembered that a flight from Jeddah to Cairo took no more than an hour and that the price of a plane ticket cost no more than 500 riyals (A$200 to A$300).
“We may come back on the weekend like on any other domestic trip,” he said.
Ms. Ali* recently returned from a holiday in Cairo and says her daughter missed the NAPLAN exam.
Ms. Ali* said that it was simple and reasonable for the Gulf states. Getty Images/chrispecoraro
She says she believes the school formula in Australia is not fulfilling the wishes of migrant families on extended holidays who can travel to their home countries.
The grade point of the children would possibly be affected due to the absence of the school.
The benefits of immigrating to Australia, according to Ali*, were the acquisition of permanent citizenship.
“It doesn’t matter how much time you spend in the Gulf. At any time, you might be asked to leave,” he said.
Leisure life to the fullest in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. EPA
Since the discovery of oil in the twentieth century, the plans for development, modernization and industrialization of the Gulf states have largely relied on foreign painters because nationals are a minority and paintings belong largely to the public sector.
Gulf countries are criticized for employment formulas that some say violate the rights of foreign workers, such as the sponsorship formula known as “kafala,” as well as harsh operating conditions.
Despite those drawbacks, oil-rich countries have long been a destination for the monetary security of foreign personnel.
According to the Brookings Institution, foreigners make up more than 80% of the population of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar, 70% of Kuwait’s population and 55% of Bahrain’s population.
For several decades, the gulf cooperation council (GCC) countries have introduced several projects to increase the share of nationals in the workforce.
These projects have had a serious effect on foreign workers, especially Arabs, who now feel insecure and worried about the future.
Recently, many professionals have left the luxury of the Gulf either in opposition to their will due to job losses, or voluntarily in search of long-term stability, political rights and greater education.
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Not all Arab immigrants share Ms. Ali’s view. Mohamed Dahim, who lived and worked in Saudi Arabia for eight years before moving to Australia, says the nature of Arab immigration to Australia has changed over the past decade.
Mohamed Dahim immigrated to Australia in 2010 and says he loves the feeling of freedom and permanence. Mohamed Dahim “Since 2014, many Arab immigrants have left the Gulf for Australia due to national employment systems and political, economic and social adjustments in the Arab region,” Mr. Dahim said.
Dahim, who immigrated to Australia in 2009, says he understands the sense of frustration some feel after leaving the Gulf for Australia due to the loss of prestige and privileges and the demanding situations of raising young people in a Western environment.
But he says he felt at home in the Gulf country.
Life in the Gulf countries is a long-term plan. It’s like a transient dental filling. It can last you a year or two (or) it can break tomorrow.
Mr. Dahim said that he believed that one of the aspects of living in Australia was the political rights enjoyed by citizens.
“In Australia, me at home,” he said.
“Australia provides me with a house and freedom. I can express my opinion freely as I need to think twice.
Foreign structure personnel leave a structure in Doha, Qatar. EPA
Numerous reports implicate the lifestyles of a hard-working hierarchy of immigrants in the Gulf states, crowned by western expats.
Researchers claim that Western passport holders in the Gulf have many benefits, such as prestigious jobs, high wages, sumptuous homes, and comfortable lifestyles.
Dahim says many Arab immigrants from oil-rich countries to Australia hope to obtain foreign passports so they can return.
According to the World Bank, the economies of the GCC countries are recovering from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, clients finding job opportunities there seem promising to many.
Ali* says his circle of relatives has returned to the Gulf.
“Age is a vital factor. We may not be able to locate the paintings now that we are in quarantine,” he said.
Although Ali* and his circle of relatives have received Australian citizenship, he says he wonders, “What’s next?
“They gave me my Australian citizenship and my passport and I didn’t do anything with it. I think those who get advantages are the ones who do a lot or do business abroad,” he said.
Ms. Ali* describes the importance immigrants attach to obtaining Australian citizenship as “overrated”.
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Dahim says he believes immigrants from Gulf countries face challenges due to lack of preparation and unrealistic expectations.
“They need benefits here and there, and it’s unattainable,” he said.
As Ms. Ali’s husband* was unable to find solid employment in Australia, he went to Egypt to explore the option of starting a business there and returning home.
I oppose this idea, but my husband, like any Arab man, refuses to depend on my income.
Ms. Ali* said that she thought life in Australia was better than in Egypt, but, in her view, the Gulf was the best.
“Life in Egypt is very expensive. A user will have to get their salary in foreign currency in order to live,” he said.
If Ms. Ali’s husband* makes the decision to return to Egypt, she says he and her eldest son will leave and she will remain in Australia with her younger children.
*The call has been replaced to confidentiality.