Dubai Forums Dubai Expat Forums Dubai Expat Help Forum

Dear all,

My wife and I are seriously considering moving to Dubai next year and are hoping someone can help us answer a few

questions:


1. Pros and Cons -- Independant consulting/contract work VS. full-time employment: How would I go about obtaining a VISA if I want to do independant consulting (hopping from one company/project to

another). Should I start my own company? (in Dubai or in my home country - Canada) - is this realistic?

Do companies hire expats on six months to one year contracts? Not sure yet if I would like to commit to staying longer.

2. VISAs for spouses: If I was to find a job first, would my work VISA apply to her or would she need to obtain one on her own.

3. Dogs: Any tips on how to transport a dog to Dubai + other things we should know about having a dog in Dubai.

4. Getting a job: could anyone recommend head-hunters/placement agencies (for IT management or strategic consulting positions).



Many thanks!

[quote="jeanfrancois"]Dear all,

My wife and I are seriously considering moving to Dubai next year and are hoping someone can help us answer a few

questions:


1. Pros and Cons -- Independant consulting/contract work VS. full-time employment: How would I go about obtaining a VISA if I want to do independant consulting (hopping from one company/project to another). Should I start my own company? (in Dubai or in my home country - Canada) - is this realistic?

You cannot legally work in Dubai (and invoice clients etc.) if your company is registered outside of the UAE. You can apply for a consultants visa through on of the many Freezones, dependant on the nature of your work.

Do companies hire expats on six months to one year contracts? Not sure yet if I would like to commit to staying longer.

There are two new "mission visas" which have recently been introduced which cover employment for 6 and 12 month periods. Note: you are likely to get a 6 month labour ban on completion of the visa though!

The norm for hiring is a 3 year renewable contract.

2. VISAs for spouses: If I was to find a job first, would my work VISA apply to her or would she need to obtain one on her own.

Employers do not sponsor spouses (for residency), you would have to apply to sponsor your wife. In other words your employer would sponsor you and you would sponsor your wife. If your wife decided to get her own job she could in turn be sponsored (for residency) by her employer, or could choose to remain under your sponsorship.

3. Dogs: Any tips on how to transport a dog to Dubai + other things we should know about having a dog in Dubai.

if you are unsure about the duration of your stay i would consider leaving the dog with friends until you are settled; if you decide to stay then you could have the dog sent over. you would need to get an import permit from the department of agriculture and quarantine to import the dog. the permit would specify the conditions that need to be met with regards to the import. the same applies when you leave, you have to then get an import permit from canada and the process is reversed. check the canadian conditions before you do anything, as the conditions for import into the us and canada are far more strict than into dubai. you could end up with the situation where you bring your dog to dubai, but cannot take it home again when you leave!

4. Getting a job: could anyone recommend head-hunters/placement agencies (for IT management or strategic consulting positions).

try these sites:
http://www.dubaiforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=28599