Free guide
Building a life: friends, networks and the partner at home
The paperwork gets most of the attention. Settled residents say the harder part is starting your social life and network from zero. Pick who you are.
Who are you in the move?
5 situationsThe honest part
Moving abroad is exciting, and the first weeks are full of things to do. After that, many people hit a dip. These are the things settled residents told us they wish they’d known:
- You start from zero. No friends nearby, no network, no one who knows your history. It takes most people 6–12 months to feel at home
- The partner at home often finds it hardest. The working partner gets a ready-made routine. The other loses their job, routine and friends on the same day
- People move on. Many residents stay a few years, so you’ll keep making new friends as others leave
- Summer shrinks social life. From June to September it’s too hot to be outside by day, and many people travel home for weeks
How the first year often feels
A common pattern, not a rule- Month 1Busy and exciting: visas, house, school, shopping
- Months 2–4The dip: the to-do list ends, and loneliness can show up
- Months 4–6Routines form: a club, a coffee group, a favourite place
- Months 6–12A circle of friends, and you start helping the next arrivals
If you’re the one with the job
The upside
- You get instant structure: a desk, colleagues, a reason to leave the house
- Colleagues are a ready-made first network
The catch
- Work can absorb you: long days leave little energy for making friends
- Your partner may be starting from nothing while you’re busy
- Protect two evenings a week for life outside work, from the first month
- Join one thing that isn’t work, such as a sports team or a club
- Check in with your partner weekly: who have they spoken to, what’s their week like?
- Take the first summer seriously: plan trips and indoor routines before June
Where friendships actually start
Sport and clubs
Run clubs, padel, netball, cricket, rugby, golf and five-a-side. Most welcome beginnersSchool and nursery
The gate, class WhatsApp groups and parents’ eventsYour building or community
Pool, gym, community groups and neighbourhood chatsWork and industry
Business groups, alumni associations and industry eventsVolunteering and interests
Charities, choirs, book clubs, art and faith communitiesOnline, then in person
Meet-up apps and community groups by area, interest or life stageTalk about it before you go
- What will each of us do with our days in the first three months?
- Can the partner at home work? Which permit would that need, and is it worth the cost?
- Whose money is it? Set up access to accounts for both of you
- How often will we fly home, and who will visit us?
- What would make us come back early, and how would we decide?
If it’s harder than you expected, tell someone early: your partner, a friend at home or your doctor. Many UAE health plans include support for mental wellbeing; check what yours covers. Feeling low in the first months is common, and it usually passes as routines form.
Questions people ask
Sources: u.ae: sponsoring your family; Ayshams Law: spouse visas and work permits; Gulf Business: British Business Group in the UAE.
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