Case Study: A British Family & Dubai Relocation

19 July 2023

Recently our Managing Director and co-owner Marie O’Neill filmed a series of case studies with PCD Club as guides on relocation for prospective clients. Here we break down the first video and what are the top tips for anyone considering a Dubai relocation.

Example Scenario: A technology entrepreneur wanting to move to the UAE with his family

Case Study Overview: Frank Stevens (45) is a tech entrepreneur in the UK married to Heidi, who is a Canadian national, and they have two children (15 and 11). Frank wants to relocate to Dubai to captilise on the growth of the market in the Middle East and needs to find and set up an office for his company, hire staff and get corporate governance assistance. He also needs advice on immigration, dependant sponsorship, buying a property and finding schools for his children.

Resources: Frank owns a £5 million house in London, a £2 million holiday home in France and has a £10 million global equities portfolio managed by an international bank in Singapore and a £5 million carried interest from a previous venture he owned in the Cayman Islands.

Marie: With the dynamic growth in the UAE economy and the wider Middle East region, this is the ideal location for someone like Frank who wants to plan for the future. Here are some top points for him to consider:

  • We can assist him with setting up an entity in Dubai via one of the freezones or on the mainland, so that he can still retain 100% ownership. Based on his budget, we could then advise him on hiring staff and the best locations for the office.
  • Possible visa options would include a shareholder or employment visa under that entity, which would be a two year renewable visa and would allow him to sponsor his family.
  • If Frank is interested in buying a property (AED2Million or above) he could also secure a 10 year Golden Visa, which would also allow him to sponsor his family.
  • Our immigration experts can take him through all of the options and find the best one to suit his needs.
  • Document attestation can take a while and needs to be factored into the timeline, EER can help to streamline this process where possible.
  • The timeframe for setting up an entity and securing the right visas would be around 2 to 3 months once all the documents have been collated.
  • Our team can also help him with searching for the right property and the right schools for his children.
  • We also provide bespoke corporate governance packages that cover all the elements the entity would need from annual filings to trade licenses renewals, board secretaries to regulatory changes.
  • Possible office locations to suit his needs could include DIFC and Dubai Internet City.
  • We can also assist with securing a corporate bank account, which can be very challenging for new entities.

If you are interested in Dubai relocation or relocation services across the Middle East, please get in touch with our team today on info@eerme.com or +971 (0)4 421 1819.