Expats Advised to Leave Bahrain Due to Unrest

As the escalations in Bahrain continues to flare up, The US Department of State had encouraged its citizens to depart Bahrain and avoid possible dangers. The UK also had weighed-in against traveling to the said country.

“Western countries seem to have taken note of the threat Bahrain’s civil unrest poses to their citizens. The UK advised against travel to the country yesterday, and now the US is asking its expats in Bahrain to consider leaving because of the “breakdown in law and order”.

Read More From eFinancial Careers

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50 Most Powerful Expats in the GCC

A Briton lands in the number one spot in the annual Expat Power List. The list is compiled by the Arabian Business, naming 50 non-Arabs who are making waves in the GCC region. These expats come in different sectors such as banking and finance, media, business, and law.

“This year, the top spot was taken by British businessman Rick Pudner, CEO of Emirates NBD, the largest bank in the Middle East in terms of assets. Mr Pudner rose from 18th place in the 2010 list to first place after what Arabian Business called ‘an excellent year for Emirates NBD… in tough times for the banking industry.’

Mr Pudner, who joined Emirates NBD in 2006, is largely credited for managing the bank through the worldwide economic crisis.”

Read More from Telegraph UK

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Regional Unrest Deters Expats From Relocating

The ongoing discord in Egypt and Tunisia might possibly keep away possible foreign professionals from working in the Arab region due to security reasons. The two-week unrest in Egypt has been the subject of foreign news correspondents as the protesters demand  President Hosni Mubarak’s resignation, ending his 30-year rule. Tunisia, on the other hand, deals with unemployment and increasing food prices.

“Upheaval in Egypt and how the recent mass protests were displayed in the media across the world’ may deter some Western professionals from relocating to the Gulf’, online recruiter GulfTalent said in a report.

‘Employers in the Gulf are likely to face tougher workforce nationalisation targets in 2011, as governments accelerate existing efforts to create jobs for their nationals,’ GulfTalent said in the report.”

Read More From Reuters

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Expat Community ‘Fully Behind Qatar’

In common usage, the term expatriate is often used in the context of professionals sent abroad by their companies, as opposed to locally hired staff. But what happened during one of Qatar’s biggest moments in history was beyond just working, instead, it’s expats contributed to the country’s pride. Simply put, they fought for Qatar like it’s locals.

“The historic winning of Qatar’s bid for 2022 World Cup will change the history of the country and the region, said prominent Doha resident and former chief of the Indian Community Benevolent Forum (ICBF) Dr Mohan Thomas.

Dr Thomas, a leading ENT specialist and founding chairman of Birla Public School (BPS) felt “the long awaited recognition of the region by the rest of the world has attained its fulfillment with Qatar being chosen as the venue of the greatest sporting spectacle.”

Read More From Gulf

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New Visa Regulations for UAE expats

With the aim to augment competitiveness in the job market and alleviate big losses for the employers, New United Arab of Emirate Visa set of laws is to be implemented.

“As part of a plan to streamline the labour card and visa system the length of time covered is being reduced from three years to two years.”

According to a statement by Humaid Bin Deemas, acting director general of the Ministry of Labour, the UAE Cabinet has reduced the validity of labour cards of all categories of people who work in the private sector from three years to two years in a bid to regulate the labour market.

Officials at the Labour Ministry confirmed the new rules will come into force next month. ‘As the labour card will be for only two years, naturally the residency visa will also be for two years,’ he explained.

The Cabinet decision aims to streamline the system for all work categories. Currently drivers, domestic helpers and other similar categories are entitled to two year labour cards and residence visas by the Department of Residency and Foreigners Affairs, while other professions get three year labour cards and three year residence visas.

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Money Equates Social Exclusion

Everyone needs something; and the level of need vary among individuals. An expat automatically bids goodbye to social inclusion by leaving his homeland to work abroad for a bigger pay. It’s a tough road, especially for those working in the Gulf Countries, but achieving financial stability is not far from their reach.

“Most expatriates in the Gulf say they work extremely long and hard. But the financial benefits can be considerable, with mostly tax-free income and generous allowances for schooling, housing, transport, medical insurance and travel to and from home. (The latter is generally once a year but, depending on company and rank, can be as much as four times a year.)”

Read More From the Financial Times

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A Call for Expats to become members of local cooperative societies

With a growing number of expats finding work and settling in the Gulf region, one expert expressed the need for expats to be members of the local cooperatives.

In Saudi Arabia alone, there are only 165 existing cooperatives, a far cry from the 165,000 that the Kingdom needs.

“Khalil Abu Hazza’a, representative of Social Affairs at the Gulf Cooperation Council’s Council of Ministers of Labor and Social Affairs, said having cooperative societies in the Gulf region is something recent, and that membership is usually restricted to nationals.

‘It would be better to invest in expatriates living in GCC countries, in view of their large numbers,’ he said, adding that there is a need to have women in leading positions in such societies instead of forcing them into women-only cooperative societies.”

Read More from Arab News

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Jeddah Community College welcomes expatriate

students

As Saudi Arabia becomes the number one country in the GCC region in terms of job opportunities for expats, it has also pioneered to open a college community that welcomes expat students in its fold.

“’The JCC is the first community college in the Middle East to receive accreditation from The Council on Occupational Education. The college’s aims is to connect with the community and interact with all of the different cultures in society, including international schools and companies which want to train their employees,’ said the JCC’s dean, Ibraheem Ismail Kutbi.”

This is good news for expats who wish to pursue higher education in the Muslim country, who can finally seek education from an accredited school- and even get a dual degree if they so wish.

Read More From Arab News

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Doha, the most cultural city in the Middle East with its Museum of Islamic Art

Not only is the Middle East a business and financial powerhouse, but an emerging cultural haven in the Islamic Gulf region.

Dubai delivers the exciting cosmopolitan city life while Abu Dhabi awes visitors with its impressive city architecture. Oman, on the other hand oozes with heritage charm. But it’s only in Doha that the Museum of Islamic Art can be found.

John Morris writes, “…21st-century Doha has much more to offer visitors than a quirky skyline. This year, due to its commitment to a series of long-term educational and cultural projects, the city has been designated the Arab Capital of Culture. So if nearby Dubai is the Las Vegas of the region, Doha sees itself more as a smart Geneva – wealthy, progressive, and vaguely neutral. It is home to the Middle East’s independent news network, Al Jazeera, and every autumn (October 26-30 this year) holds its own version of the prestigious Tribeca film festival.”

Read More from Telegraph UK

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Influential Expats in the GCC Region

Who’s in and who’s out from the GCC list of 50 most powerful expats? It was a fierce competition indeed, but Anthony Armstrong, an American of Qatar Holding’s mergers and acquisitions, lands in the number one spot.

“The Expat Power List features the most influential non-Arabs working in the GCC.  This year’s list contains a record 28 new entries; with UK born Aidan Birkett ranked number two. Birkett is the accountant responsible for restructuring the Dubai World debt.”

Read More From Arabian Business

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