(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Sanyukta Gajjar (not her real name) lived and worked for a tech company in London for eight years before moving back to India's business capital Mumbai. Sanyukta was 31 when she returned and her husband-to-be Parthiv €" for whom she returned - had a job in the suburbs of Mumbai. The one year she spent back home, she says, made her "miserable".
"It was great to be with family and meet friends more often, the ones who haven't moved to different countries, but something in me rebelled. I knew I couldn't continue because I had gotten used to the more efficient way of life, where things work, and life is less haphazard."
So when Parthiv got a job offer with a construction company that required him to relocate to Dubai, Sanyukta had no hesitation in moving. "I love it here," she says. Sanyukta and Parthiv live in a plush two-bedroom apartment in DIFC and have been here now three years. "It's close enough to home, so I can be back in half a day, whenever I wish €" you get the best of both worlds."
It's interesting to Sanyukta, as she relates it to her own life, that according to a UN survey released earlier this week, both the United Arab Emirates and the UK accommodate 7.8 million migrants. According to the report, more people than ever are living away from their native land. The report also stated that the Gulf oil states are one of the most attractive spots to migrate to.
As a newly-wed in 1979, Shenoy Murthy moved to Abu Dhabi with his wife. Murthy, originally from Cochin, was a tech recruit for a software consultancy based in Abu Dhabi.
"There was nothing here, I remember, no buildings, no malls €" it was all dry."
Murthy plans to retire soon and return to his homeland, but is grateful for his tenure in Abu Dhabi that helped him put his son and daughter through college in the United States. His son is now settled in Singapore while his daughter has a home in Belgium. The family unites twice a year. "Opportunities open up for you when you step outside your comfort zone. One misses things, of course. I regret that my children don't have a firm base in India. They don't know their own land. But I was able to afford them luxuries I wouldn't have been able to if I was still working in the office I started off with."
The UN report said nearly two-thirds of all international migrants live in Europe and Asia, with Europe hosting 72 million and Asia 71 million in 2013. The US hosts the largest number, 45.8 million. Russia comes second with 11 million international migrants, followed by Germany with 9.8 million, Saudi Arabia with 9.1 million, United Arab Emirates and United Kingdom with 7.8 million, France with 7.4 million, Canada with 7.3 million, and Australia and Spain with 6.5 million.
The UN Population Division reported that 232 million people, or 3.2 per cent of the world's population, were living outside their homeland in 2013 - a significant increase from the 175 million in 2000 and 154 million in 1990.
John Wilmoth, director of the Population Division at the UN said: "New sources and destinations of migrants are emerging, and in some cases, countries have become important points of origin, transit and destination simultaneously."
Asia saw the largest increase of international migrants between 2000 and 2013, adding some 20 million migrants, mainly as a result of increasing demand for foreign labour in the oil-producing countries, Wilmoth said.
Sanyukta says being in Dubai is a matter of opportunity. "You have to set yourself certain goals. Let's face it, the goals are almost always financial. I am secure here (if) the money keeps coming. I plan to start my family here."
She says of all her friends who are already parents, not one couple has a complaint about the quality of education or safety of children. "Dubai is a good place to raise children. I will feel much safer being a mother here than back home in India. And today, I feel they will benefit from the exposure. Dubai is the centre of the world, as long as you don't delude yourself about it being home," she says. "It is a great place to move to."
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.