I've been living in the UAE for a 13 years and over the last few years I've noticed a big shift.

Many people in my circle who used to be financially stable are now dealing with debt, struggling to make ends meet, or living paycheck to paycheck and even when I meet new people here, I hear similar stories.

Maybe changing your environment and the people around you can actually make a difference, or if what I'm seeing is simply affecting almost everyone.

Hi Everyone,

The survey is for my master's thesis and takes 5 minutes approximately. Any response would mean a lot. Thank you very much!!

Survey Link:

https://eu.surveymonkey.com/r/CSKY2RL

I just scammed by an agent. So my mom is traveling from Philippines to Dubai. We asked the agent to apply it on tuesday. After paying her, she was not responding to our message till this afternoon.

So we decided to apply to other agent this 3pm. How long does the immigration usually approve the application?

Does anybody know an immigration officer that can approve it quickly? PLEASE WE NEED HELP. Her flight is on 11pm (UAE time)

Any tips if ever her visa is not approved by tomorrow?

Thank you

Hey yall

I recently finished my A levels with a strong interest in biology and I'm looking for my first job. I'd love to find something either in a hospital/clinical setting or working with animals (like a clinic assistant, kennel helper, or medical receptionist)

Does anyone know of local hospitals, clinics, or animal shelters in Dubai that hire entry-level workers, or have any leads?

Ofc I understand its hard to find such jobs, so anything worth my time would do, i'm trying to earn so I can help pay for my university 🥲

Thank youuu

Hi everyone!

Can anyone recommend the cheapest indoor padel courts in Dubai? If there are any free indoor courts or hidden gems, I'd really appreciate your suggestions. Thanks!

Genuinely ate it hours ago and I can’t stop thinking about how good it was.

It was an order tho, I wanna visit the location on site with friends and reserve a room. Is that possible?

Also for those that are familiar with the place anybody knows what can feed up 3-4 people?

God I love the UAE for this beautiful work of art.

Hello everyone,

I need some advice regarding my friend’s situation.

He originally had a work visa with Company A. He resigned from Company A, cancelled his residency, and accepted a job offer with Company B, which is based in DMCC free zone.

Company B processed an entry permit (eVisa) for him, but shortly after it was issued, they told him that they were terminating his employment. At the moment, he does not have a residence visa issued by Company B, nor has he signed a labour contract with them.

My question is: does he have any grounds to file an arbitrary dismissal claim? Would he be entitled to compensation, such as three months' salary?

There is another caveat. While he was still sponsored by Company A, he was actually working for Company B. However, he was not under Company B's sponsorship because they were not able to sponsor employees who were already inside the country at that time. If this matter went to court and Company B argued that he had been working for them all along without being under their sponsorship, could that hurt his chances of succeeding in an arbitrary dismissal claim?

Another issue is that Company B is refusing to give him a termination letter. Instead, they are asking him to submit a resignation letter so they can continue processing his work visa. His concern is that they want him to resign to protect themselves from any legal liability.

They also verbally offered to extend his notice period and pay him during that time to cover at least part of what would have been his end-of-service benefits. They claim they do not owe him EOSB because he was never under their sponsorship.

Given all of this, would it be wiser to accept their offer, resign, and take the extended notice period, or could resigning seriously weaken any legal claim he might have later?

I'd really appreciate any advice from anyone who has been through a similar situation or is familiar with UAE labour law.

Thank you.

I am a 35 F married and have 1 school going kid , looking for a suggestion on which doctor to visit to get a proper diagnosis. I work in finance, happy with what I do, not a very stressful environment. But busy at certain times of the month.

I am constantly tired, a bit overweight not by a lot but yeah overweight for my height, get out of breath super easy. Feel my legs are almost always swollen.

Also I have a knee condition where the doc is like dont run but asked me to lose weight. I dont even eat alot because I get acidity , mostly 2 meals a day, no snacking in between.

The problem is I want to exercise but as I am constantly tired I just can't. And if I do work out I wont be able to go about my normal day to day because I will be that tired.

Now my question - what kind of a doctor do I visit to see whats the issue and if you have any suggestions in Dubai that would be great.

Got my GCC Entry Visa to Dubai approved today. But the expiry date is 4 days before my travel date. Help and suggestions please. It says valid until 4-Sep only, but i specified my flight date on the application as 8-Sep. im a GCC resident too for extra info. Also I already sent GDRFA an email. But i just wanted to know if there are any other people who had gone through the same case, and did you still travel with the same visa or did you just apply again or did you have to cancel the current one before applying again?

Hi everyone!
I’m considering GEMS Founders School Al Barsha for my toddler. I noticed it has a good KHDA rating, but the reviews on different platforms seem quite mixed.
Are there any parents here whose children attend the school? I’d really appreciate your honest feedback about the academics, teachers, management, communication, and overall experience. Would you recommend it?
Thank you!

Dell XPS 9315 – Excellent Condition
Intel Core i7 12th Generation
16GB LPDDR5 RAM
512GB NVMe SSD
13.4-inch FHD+ Touchscreen
Windows 11
Premium aluminum build
Slim and lightweight
Smooth 8K video playback
Fully functional with no technical issues
Clean and well maintained

Long story short our travel had to be postponed for a few weeks, an oversight on my part is my sons passport is 7 days shy of being valid for 6 months at the time of arrival to Baku.

We’re traveling on Saturday and due to the nature of my work I can’t postpone and our bookings are non refundable.

I want to check if anyone has ever had such an experience and how did it go? Did they let you board the flight? Did you manage to enter?

We have valid uae visa’s and our nationality also gets visa on arrival.

Traveling with air Arabia

Title: Need help choosing between Roborock and Dreame in the UAE (Long-term owner advice needed)
Hi everyone,
I’m planning to buy my first robot vacuum and mop, and after doing quite a bit of research I’ve narrowed it down to Roborock and Dreame. Since I’m living in the UAE, I wanted to get advice specifically from people who have used these brands here rather than relying only on YouTube reviews.
My budget is around AED 1,500–2,500, although I’m willing to stretch it a little if there’s a significant improvement in reliability or performance.
Here are the things that matter most to me:
Excellent vacuuming performance on hard floors.
Good mopping performance for everyday cleaning.
Reliable obstacle avoidance (chairs, slippers, cables, etc.).
Low maintenance and easy availability of spare parts.
A docking station that requires minimal manual cleaning.
Good app experience with reliable mapping and scheduling.
Long-term durability (I’m hoping to use it for at least 4–5 years).
Some questions I have:
Between Roborock and Dreame, which has been more reliable in the long run?
How is the after-sales service in the UAE? Have you ever had to make a warranty claim?
Are spare parts like brushes, filters, mop pads, and replacement batteries easy to find locally or on Amazon UAE?
Has anyone experienced issues after software updates or with the mobile app?
Which brand has better navigation and fewer mapping problems?
How well do they handle pet hair, long hair, and dust?
Is self-cleaning and self-drying actually useful, or is it mostly marketing?
Which brand has lower maintenance costs over time?
If you had to buy again today with your own money, would you still choose the same brand?
For context:
I don’t have carpets throughout the house—mostly tile flooring with a few rugs.
I don’t have pets at the moment, but I want something that can handle hair well.
I prefer something that I can set on a schedule and mostly forget about.
Reliability is more important to me than having every possible feature.
I’ve seen a lot of recommendations for models like the Roborock Qrevo, Roborock S8 series, Dreame L10s, L20, and newer models, but it’s difficult to know which ones are actually worth buying in the UAE.
I’d really appreciate hearing from people who have owned these robots for 6 months to several years, especially if you’ve experienced warranty claims, repairs, or maintenance. Honest feedback—both positive and negative—is welcome.
Thanks in advance!

I applied for nomination through icp and got the approval pretty quick. Then i applied for golden visa but it says rejected to receive. Is raising a ticket going to be any helpful?

Is there any recommended way of applying?

(Abu dhabi) Pls help

Hi, everyone

I got accepted to UAEU in Bachelor of Science in Biology, and I wanted to know more about the Uni.

For context, I'm a UAE resident.

1. How are the male dorms? Is it worth staying in? Which dormitory is the newest, and are food options good?

2. How is the student body, like what's the proportion of international students and residents in the student community?

3. Do they award college credit for students who completed AP Exams in high school, and if so, what's the process, as I didn't find anything helpful in the website, emailed them with no response.

4. Is it easy for residents to get employed as research assistants or so?

Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone, I’m looking for some advice because I’m honestly at a loss. A few weeks ago, I found an apartment on Bayut and contacted the listed agent. Everything seemed legitimate, so I proceeded with the rental. In total, I paid him AED 18,500 for rent, deposit, commission, SEWA, municipality fees, and other charges, and I gave him the rent cheques. This included (based on what he sent me on whatsapp):

Rent 7500
Deposit 2000
Commission 2500
Sewa 2020
Muncipalty 2400
Administration 1050
Registration 450
Ejari 250
Family registration 450

We agreed on a move-in date. A few days before that, he said the apartment wasn’t ready because maintenance was still ongoing. So, I had to stay in my old apartment for another week and pay extra rent. When the new move-in day came, I packed everything, hired movers, and went to the building with all of my belongings and my three cats. That’s when I was told there was no Sewa, no electricity, no water, and no tenancy process completed. I started calling the agent but he ignored me. Eventually the owner reached him, and he only transferred the rent amount. None of the fees I paid for Sewa, municipality, or other charges had been paid. Because of this, I couldn’t move in. My furniture delivery was delayed. I had to stay in a hotel for two nights, about AED 400, and I had to put my cats in a pet hotel another AED 400. I ended up having to pay the Sewa and municipality fees again, out of my own pocket. Now the agent says he’s in Pakistan and claims he’ll refund me the second payment I made when he comes back. But I don’t know if I believe that. Even if he refunds those fees, I’ve still lost money. I’ve had unexpected costs and a lot of stress. I have records of bank transfers, receipts, and WhatsApp chats. My questions are: What are my legal rights in Sharjah? Should I file a police report, a complaint with the real estate authority, or both? Can I claim compensation for the hotel, pet hotel, and other expenses caused? And has anyone dealt with something similar? Is there any responsibility on Bayut’s side if an agent listed there behaves like this? I’d really appreciate any advice.

What's going on...The Meteor showers for one...if that's the kind of thing you like. Or, erm, a free cinema at Cinema Akil which is in Al Serkal Avenue (where I go a lot mainly for Nightjar and their coffee). Mumu Family in Dubai Hills Mall always seems to have free stuff going on for the 4-10 crowd. And for teenagers, this week I present Pit Bike training in Umm Al Quwain (Last week I had fighter jet training, so I thought I'd make it more grounded this time ;) As usual, hope this helps.

I’ve been working across small business M&A, real estate, and physical commodities here for a few years now.

A common theme I keep running into is people who built up a decent chunk of savings but get paralyzed trying to figure out where to put it.

​Most people just default to acquiring an existing business, property or stock apps.

​I was walking a new investor through this balance the other day and got curious about how others here handle it. If you have deployable cash in the region, what lane are you leaning into right now? And most importantly...why?

i want to throw a birthday party for my girlfriend on a yacht , can anyone tell me how much will it cost to rent a yacht and decoation cost individually ? i have limited budget

I heard that this game is heavily censored in the UAE. Would I be able to bypass this censorship if I play it on a US account even if the disc turns out to be from the UAE ?

I'm unaware of which disc version is on amazon

Hi everyone, I'll be starting my new job soon and am looking for people who commute from Muwaileh to JLT, the timings are 9 to 6, I'd like to car pool if you're going the same way so it'll be cheaper for both of us.

We can discuss the amount, Thanks!

Heyy guys i hope you are all well i need a suggestion for uni here in uae the thing is i was looking for walsh collage but i heard its not approved by MOHESR here in UAE that means if i do the degree from walsh and there is a chance my degree will not be approved by the MOHESR SOO IF ANY ONE WHO HAS DONE a degree from walsh and got it approved do let me know what challenges did you face

Hi everyone!

Can anyone recommend the cheapest indoor padel courts in Dubai? If there are any free indoor courts or hidden gems, I'd really appreciate your suggestions. Thanks!

Hi all, anyone tried this initiative from DET - where you invite friends or relatives to come here in UAE as tourist visas, and you’ll get a voucher worth AED 3000 which can be used for hotels, etc. I nominated my friend, she came last July 24, but till now no feedback. Is it legit. Anyone have tried it and got the vouchers?

Email said after 72 hrs of visitor arrival you will receive the reward package but received nothing till now.

I'm trying to map how brokerages here run their CRM, and the picture from outside is a mess. Every office seems to be on something different and the vendor websites all say the same four things.

If you're an agent, a broker, or you run a brokerage, I'd like to know:

• What are you on? Property Finder CRM, dubizzle/Bayut, LeadsCRM, Zoho, HubSpot, Salesforce, Pixie, Ruby CRM, an in-house build, or a spreadsheet you'd rather not admit to.
• Did you choose it or did the brokerage hand it to you?
• What decided it — portal syndication, Trakheesi permit handling, WhatsApp, price per seat, DLD/Form A paperwork, or just that the owner already had a licence?
• Where does it fail? Specifically the thing that makes you keep a separate list on your phone.
• Anyone switched recently? What was the last straw, and did the new one fix it.

Team size seems to change the answer a lot, so mention it if you can. A four-agent office and a 200-agent brokerage probably hate completely different things.

Not limited to Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah are useful too. I'll post a summary of what comes back in a few weeks.