COVID-19 crisis returns spotlight to Gulf migrant communities
Contract migration schemes make citizenship acquisition nearly impossible for migrant workers in the Gulf, and recent economic and health crises make any imminent changes further unlikely.
“After almost 30 years of living in Dubai, I left.” So begins a blog post written in 2017 by an Indian citizen who grew up in the city and witnessed her father being laid off after he had contributed to the success of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), working "like a mad dog."
“I would never make the same mistake, never stay in a place for too long without having the opportunity to be its citizen,” the author said.
