zlacker

Those horror stories are mostly propaganda amplified in echo chambers of people who have never been to Dubai.

Take this "slavery" nonsense for example. There is literally no difference between migration regime of a low-skilled worker and a highly-paid "expat". Rules are the same and they are way softer than, for example, H1B.

Millions used to be spent on smearing Dubai, so we will be hearing echoes of those "horror stories" for many years.

Other horror stories, which are not propaganda, are coming from cultural deafness. A Brit gets drunk, engages in sex on a public beach and then cries about "savage laws" when gets arrested. When in Rome, do like Romans, but some people think their view is better than anyone else's. I've seen Brits who think British laws should apply to them wherever they go.

>>Aspos+(OP)
Ah yes, cultural relativism! Justifying barbaric behaviour since, well, the Barbarians.

>>hgomer+82
Well, that is what I mean: some people divide the world to "civilized" and "barbaric" and anything that does not fit their world view must be barbaric of course.

>>Aspos+M5
I see no reason to declare any part of the world civilized. Some countries are further down the road to being civilized, but we should always be asking what needs improving.

>>Aspos+M5
That you're unable to perceive the difference doesn't mean it's non-existent. People who travel the world will tell you that there are differences in civilisation advancement and human rights between countries and regions. To claim otherwise is just denying facts.

>>bitcha+Wl
No doubt. I've been to 114 countries out of ~200 and spent decades living in different parts of the world. My comment was about people crying "slavery" while not fully understanding what they are referring to, about people who call others "barbarians" because their laws are different from they got used to.

>>Aspos+(OP)
> There is literally no difference between migration regime of a low-skilled worker and a highly-paid "expat".

You can’t be serious.

Nobody is withholding an expat’s passport while they live in boxes with 16 other people and working for months on end.

You’re making ridiculous comparisons and it makes me dubious of your intent here.

>>feupan+ty
He's merely saying the rules are the same. The higher skilled worker can afford not to live with 16 other people. I don't know about the passport, but in countries like Saudi Arabia: Yes - they do/did take your passport away, regardless of whether you're a lowly worker or an executive at a company. There's a process you have to go through to get the passport back so you can travel.

Even if they let you keep your passport, you still need an exit visa to leave. I've known wealthy upper class people to get stuck in the country for a bit because they had a dispute with their employer and the latter then refused to sign the paperwork so he could get an exit visa.

>>feupan+ty
Nobody is withholding any passports. It is illegal and employer will be fined if gov finds out. Dubai gov advertises hotlines where employees can anonymously report such things. Moreover, employer is mandated to pay for the return ticket if employee resigns and decides to leave. Employer simply can't get a visa unless they deposit the cash with gov.

Putting 16 people in the same "box" is also illegal and, frankly, I've never seen laborers being treated like that. I think you are making this up or referring to an outlier case.

Laborers have two options: take care of their own housing or live in a employer-provided accommodation. Bankers, obviously, choose the former, taxi drivers choose the latter. There is no law that says taxi drivers should be treated differently than bankers.

It helps if one imagines Dubai as a cruise ship: expats are treated as a typical cruise ship crew. Some sleep in bunks next to the engines, some pay to live in better rooms on higher decks, but the approach in general is the same. Each member of the crew is there temporarily and they know it. They are expected to do their job and leave once its over.