Nearly 90% of the population in the UAE consists of expats. Expats can’t apply for citizenship and no matter how many years they have lived here, their continued stay depends on successful visa renewals every two years.

Having coffee with a friend, we started talking about this aspect of expat life and the fact that people do not retire to Dubai.

There’s no such thing as a retirement visa in the UAE. Once you stop earning, you have to leave the country unless you own property or can be sponsored by a son or daughter who has a job that pays at least AED 6000 per month.

But sponsoring parents is at the discretion of the Immigration Department so the outcome is not guaranteed.

I’ve met expats who have lived in the UAE for over 30 years and see this as their home country even though they have no citizen rights. They worry about their options after they retire.

Many expats start building a base somewhere else where they can retire comfortably when the time comes.

My friend has just returned from a trip back home (London) and said that one of the things that struck her were the number of elderly people she saw. It made her realise that she hasn’t seen a “proper” sweet little old expat lady hobbling about in Dubai.

It may be that Dubai itself is too young to have an aging expat population but it is very rare to see expat elders. When we do, it usually transpires that they are tourists. The oldest expats I see tend to be in their 60′s which to my mind is still middle-aged

My friend sighed as she said “You need old people in a society the same way that you need children.”

My friend’s son looked up from his colouring book, eager to contribute to a grown-up conversation. “You’re both old” he said.

Hmph!