Temporary Labour–Migration System and Long–term Residence Strategies in the United Arab Emirates

Abstract

The United Arab Emirates’ migration system, the sponsorship–based kafala system, is defined as a temporary labour–migration regime. Although there are policies making permanent residence unattainable for virtually all migrants, it is still relevant to explore the temporality of migrations in the UAE. The purpose of this study is to investigate developments in migration, migration policies and population trends in the country, including trends that concern the duration of migrants’ stay. We also identify some of the major strategies used by migrants to prolong their sojourn in the UAE. It is maintained that the migrant stock has increased continuously in the last decades and that a large number of migrants devise strategies to continue their residence and remain in the country for years. The authors also identify and discuss migrants’ transition within and in‐between regularity and irregularity, and analyse the reasons for utilizing different strategies over time.

Bargaining Power: A Framework for Understanding Varieties of Migration Experience

“…As recent work has shown (Damir-Geilsdorf and Pelican 2019), workers are not without agency under the kafala , and both migrants and employers develop strategies to navigate, and sometimes subvert, it as an institution. For example, researchers have identified ways that lower-wage migrants extend their stays, including switching visa and sponsorship types and engaging in serial labor migration (Parreñas et al 2019; Valenta et al 2020). We take some inspiration from Johnston’s (2017) study of kafala bargaining power, which finds that blue-collar migrants who hold contracts and have exit options are less vulnerable to employer exploitation.…”

Beyond vulnerability: contextualizing migrant worker views on rights and wellbeing in the Gulf Arab states

“…Sponsors' control over workers means employers may withhold pay or passports, threaten to reduce wages or deport workers (Amnesty International, 2013). Workers develop strategies to navigate the vulnerability inherent in the kafala system (e.g., Valenta et al 2020), from switching visa and sponsorship types to absconding from their employers/sponsors to work in the informal sector (Fargues and Shah, 2017). These points indicate that while improving labor regulations and enforcement is essential, we must also consider how migrants view their treatment.…”

Contested Governance and Sovereignty in the Kerala–Dubai Migration Corridor

“…They are often accompanied by their spouses and children because expatriates earning above a certain salary level can sponsor their families (Ewers and Dicce 2016;Vora 2011Vora , 2013. Immigrants pursue multiple strategies to serve as back-up safeguards to prolong residence should they not manage to renew their contract, as detailed by Valenta et al (2020).…”

“…Dubai, for example, has offered freehold ownership to foreigners with a corresponding residential permit since 2002 (Bagaeen 2007;Valenta et al 2020: 189). Entrepreneurs and business investors also receive residency permits, with the residency of business owners in free zones tied to the company rather than business partner as sponsor (Valenta et al 2020). Some of the wealthiest individuals in the UAE are Keralite entrepreneurs.…”