Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- The proposed changes were announced on 30 September 2020, and on 3 October the Dubai government announced the launch of a program that relaxes restrictions on long-term pensions for expatriate professionals aged 55 and over.

Commenting on the planned changes in migration policy, experts note their impact on the internal situation in the country.

First, the changes will affect the ethnic composition of the UAE population, accelerating the formation of a unique “Emirati identity” in the region. This is due to the fact that today the indigenous Emiratis make up only about 11% of the population. Moreover, the overwhelming majority of expatriates (59%) are from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Egyptians (10.2%) and Filipinos (6.1%) also make up a significant part.

Second, granting migrants nationality will have a positive impact on the UAE’s economy, as the indigenous people remain a constraint on structural reforms that are designed to rebuild the costly economic model. This is because Emiratians have a vested interest in maintaining a generous social safety net that provides benefits regardless of skill set or employment status.

Third, the addition of new subjects outside the tribal system allows the country’s ruling elite - the Al Nahyan families in Abu Dhabi and the Al Maktoum families in Dubai - to pursue policies with less internal resistance, providing them with support to counter the tribal, Bedouin and Iranian clans, which have traditionally played a dominant role in the country’s domestic and foreign policy.

In general, the Emirati authorities intend to create a new support from among the most competent migrants who are less dependent on social support from the state, which can become the main "driving force" of the large-scale reforms launched by the government to diversify the oil-dependent economy of the UAE.