In this paper, we explore the drivers influencing South Asian emigration to the UAE. A disproportionate focus on economic disparities between South Asian sender states and Gulf receiver states positions migrants outside the political fold as rightless and rootless guest workers motivated purely by economic gain. Consistent with a false economic-political binary in broader migration research, these explanations essentialize migration to the Gulf as primarily economic. This paper nuances the drivers of migration through an in-depth qualitative methodology, comprising semi-structured interviews with South Asian immigrants in the UAE, followed by a survey for generalizability and a larger sample size. Leveraging South Asian diasporas in the UAE, our sample includes primarily Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, and Bangladeshi migrants. Drawing on this multi-method approach, we ask why migrants undertake outward migration, what mediating drivers persuade their migration, why migrants undertake inward migration, and their future plans for onward or return migration from the Gulf. By disaggregating migration drivers and the migrant journey, we account for the dynamic nature of migration both temporally and spatially–between past and future migration trajectories as well as between sender and receiver states. Drawing on mixed migration scholarship, we further interrogate how ostensibly voluntary migration undertaken for (seemingly) economic purposes may be driven by degrees of proactivity and reactivity. Current findings show that first-generation emigrants expressed a combination of economic and political motivations, citing improved quality of life and increased safety, relative to sender states, as primary predisposing drivers. Notably, immigrants stressed existing diasporic networks in the UAE as mediating drivers that significantly facilitated their inward migration. Second-generation emigrants expressed significantly less intent of return migration to their South Asian country-of-nationality in future years, compared to older generations, and greater intent of either onward migration or immobility (staying in the UAE, or the Gulf). Commonly cited reasons included a strong sense of belonging to the UAE, consistent with emerging literature that finds that second-generation emigrants claim a sense of belonging to the Gulf comparable to citizens. However, they also noted escalating political disparities in persecution and stability in their South Asian sender states, suggesting that these will play an increasing role in the migration trajectories of second and subsequent generations of emigrants in the Gulf, particularly in decisions of inward and return migration. Thus, this paper situates South Asians in the Gulf in ongoing mixed migration discourses, adding sociological insight to predominantly structural and economic explanations.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE), home to 10 million people, has the world's highest migrant proportion (87%) and one of the most diverse populations, with 59% coming from South Asia, alongside dynamic cities like Abu Dhabi and Dubai. In this setting, both citizens and non-citizens engage with the state, society, and employers, often utilizing wasta—a Middle Eastern practice of leveraging social networks for favors—to navigate bureaucracies and negotiate for better positions. This paper investigates wasta as a bargaining tool for migrants to enhance their belonging and well-being by examining the influence of informal and formal networks on migrant experiences. Through 75 qualitative interviews with middle- and high-income UAE-based migrants of varied backgrounds, supplemented by conversations with UAE nationals, this study, supported by the American University of Sharjah, delves into how wasta is used to improve living conditions, work status, access services, and influence decisions. Migrants' ability to leverage wasta varies significantly, influenced by their socio-economic status, nationality, skill level, and home country's stability. High-skilled or economically privileged migrants often navigate the system more effectively, whereas women, lower-income, minority, or less secure country nationals face greater challenges. The research highlights the kafala sponsorship system's role in shaping migrant experiences, noting its gradual modification for higher-skilled individuals through initiatives like the “Golden Visa,” while remaining unchanged for others. This evolving landscape prompts a reevaluation of wasta's role across different migrant groups, its impact on their integration and well-being, and its transformation in light of labor law reforms. Contrary to studies focusing on Emiratis as wasta's main beneficiaries, this paper broadens the perspective, offering insights into a diverse range of migrant experiences and the nuanced ways in which social networks contribute to their life in the Gulf.

This paper extends the work by Vora (2013) and others that have interrogated national and non-national divides by examining geographic differences between Emirates and generational differences between younger and older adults within the same family and community. It asks the following research questions: How do citizens and noncitizens navigate their changing relationships with the state and society in order to construct belonging? How does the construction of belonging vary across generation and geography? It examines belonging through two crosscutting forms of communities: (1) local communities, which examine how respondents relate to their geographically defined neighborhood (Parsons 1969, 1989; National Academies of Sciences 2021). (2) the national political community (UAE) based on Benedict Anderson’s imagined community, which is a nation as a socially constructed community imagined by the people who perceive themselves as part of a group. Thus, belonging is defined as perceived membership - formal or informal - to a neighborhood or imagined national community. The study draws on qualitative analysis of around 75 in-depth interviews conducted between November 2023 and February 2024. It employs innovative participatory methods in which we empower and train young adult students to become researchers within their own communities and to have intergenerational conversations about the complexities of belonging within their social circles and collaborate on the findings. Both Emirati nationals and expatriates from diverse national backgrounds were asked to recruit participants from three generational categories roughly corresponding to the youth, their parents, and their grandparent’s generations. The study also captures the experiences of residents in the understudied Northern Emirates. During the interviews, respondents discussed when and how they experienced belonging, recalling experiences of inclusion and exclusion, and their attachment to the state (nationalism and patriotism). Based on preliminary analysis, we observe that while current national policies appear to pit national and non-national youths against each other in pursuit of scarce jobs and other state benefits, both groups have formed a meaningful attachment to the state driven by shared experiences. Finally, the use of belonging as a shared construct for understanding both nationals and non-nationals should not be taken as an argument for the existence of comprehensive social harmony in the UAE. Indeed, policy and social changes are likely to continue to occasion intragroup frictions amid increasing competition for resources. However, findings indicate the potential of the country’s social fabric to absorb these shocks through creating a strong and inclusive national identity.

Third Culture individuals (TCIs), also known as Third Culture Kids (TCKs), are individuals who live in a country that is not the respective countries of their parents or ancestors. Yet, the complexity arises when it comes to individuals living in the UAE. Given the general multiculturality of the UAE, TCIs often have a different experience given the exposure to varying cultures and beliefs daily. As a result of the multicultural nature of the UAE and their lives, does it complexify being Third-Cultured? What about mixed-ethnicity TCIs and their experiences? What about TCIs who have moved and lived in numerous other countries before coming to the UAE and who hold more than two passports? Would they be considered third, fourth, or fifth-cultured individuals? This paper explores the sense of belonging and understanding of home that multi-cultural Complex Culture Individuals experience in the UAE. Thereby, the paper employs a qualitative approach through the form of 15 semi-structured interviews with individuals from mixed-cultured TCIs who live within UAE through snowball sampling. In previous TCI literature, the study demographic has been majorly focused on teenagers or young adults. Hence, this project widens that perspective as it currently aiming to interview complex TCIs from various generations ranging from those in their early twenties to those in their 60s. This participant group includes but is not limited to those who are mixed ethnicity, who have lived elsewhere and then moved to the UAE, who have grown up their entire lives in the UAE, or simply who have two or more passports. Identity is a very complex topic of discussion, especially considering the various influences that religions, beliefs, cultures, and childhood can all have on said identity construction. Thereby, while previous studies have been made about TCIs across the globe, particularly in the West, this paper will present a more unique approach by engaging with TCIs that come from unique backgrounds. Hence, ethnographic qualitative methods will be the means of gathering data about mixed-cultured TCIs in the UAE. In focusing on the unique livelihoods of Complex Culture Individuals, this paper was able to explore how belonging is the sum of religion, family-importance, culture, environment, and language combined at varying degrees.