Moving to the UAE from the UK? Here’s your visa guide for jobs, business and Golden Visas

Dubai: British professionals and business owners moving to the UAE are arriving better prepared than before, with visa pathways, budgets, and timelines increasingly planned in advance. Immigration specialists say the shift reflects growing use of long-term residency options and a more strategic approach to relocation, particularly among senior executives, entrepreneurs and families.

The change is evident in how British arrivals now prioritise self-sponsored visas, corporate structuring and cost planning early in the process, reducing delays and surprises after arrival.

According to. Henley & Partners’ Private Wealth Migration Report 2025, around 16,500 millionaires are set to leave the UK this year, following nearly 10,000 departures in 2024. The UAE remains the top destination globally for incoming high-net-worth individuals, attracting close to 10,000 each year.

For many British nationals, the UAE’s appeal lies in a mix of lifestyle, regulatory stability and long-term residency options. What has changed is how early those decisions are being made.

“Britons exploring a move to the UAE typically fall into three categories: employees, entrepreneurs and investors,” said Elena Caron, Corporate Services Director at Fragomen. “The UAE offers two broad types of residence pathways, sponsored and self-sponsored, each suited to different profiles.”

For employees, the most common route remains employer sponsorship. A UAE-licensed company sponsors the residence visa, with the employee then able to sponsor dependants, provided income and accommodation thresholds are met.

Self-sponsored routes, however, are playing an increasingly important role. These include the Golden Visa, retirement visas, and property investor visas, which offer greater independence from employers.

“The Golden Visa in particular attracts Britons across several eligibility streams,” Caron said. Investors qualify through property purchases of at least Dh2 million, entrepreneurs through business ownership generating Dh1 million or more annually, and highly skilled professionals through a minimum basic salary of Dh30,000 per month. Exceptional talent routes also remain available.

Together, these pathways allow individuals to align residency with long-term plans rather than short-term employment contracts.

Despite the UAE’s reputation for efficient processing, delays remain common when preparation is lacking. According to Fragomen, most issues do not stem from the visa process itself but from compliance gaps.

“Companies often experience delays due to expired corporate documents, blocked government portals caused by non-compliance, missing visa quotas or misalignment between the employee’s role and approved job titles,” Caron said. Such issues can halt hiring for weeks and lead to fines.

For individuals, challenges tend to be more administrative. Degree attestation delays, salary mismatches and incomplete family documentation frequently slow applications. Fragomen advises starting document checks before arrival rather than after.

British businesses expanding into the UAE must know that, no commercial activity can take place without a valid licence, and the choice of jurisdiction is critical.

The UAE operates across seven mainland emirates and more than 45 free zones, each with distinct regulatory frameworks. This decision affects ownership rules, operational scope and long-term scalability.

“Selecting the appropriate jurisdiction is a strategic decision,” Caron said, noting that licensing timelines, visa quotas and compliance obligations vary significantly. With proper planning, however, companies can establish operations quickly and benefit from the UAE’s tax structure, infrastructure and location.

While the UAE’s tax environment remains a strong draw, industry leaders caution against oversimplifying the financial picture.

“Throughout our UK business briefing series held in London and Manchester we have been educating British businesses on the importance of realising the costs of living in the UAE versus the hype of ‘no tax’,” said Katy Holmes, CEO of the British Chamber of Commerce Dubai.

She highlighted rising expenses across education, housing and healthcare, as well as governance obligations around company setup. Working with partners such as Cigna Healthcare and Fragomen, the Chamber has focused on helping businesses and individuals budget realistically.

For long-term UAE residents, the newer wave of British arrivals feels different. Many arrive with housing strategies in place, school options researched and residency mapped out well in advance.

This shift reflects the fact that British expats are increasingly treating the UAE as a long-term base rather than a temporary assignment, shaping decisions around visas, investments and business structures accordingly.

Immigration specialists consistently point to preparation as the deciding factor between a smooth relocation and a costly delay. Understanding visa eligibility early, aligning documentation and factoring in real living costs can significantly reduce friction.

For Britons considering the UAE, the opportunity remains strong, but success depends on planning, compliance and realistic expectations rather than headline tax advantages alone.