UAE
“I never left”: Why this expat chose to build her life in the UAE
A Dubai-based HR consultant reflects on 35 years of safety, family life, and career growth in a country she calls home
"It’s very difficult to find another place that brings together what the UAE does so seamlessly: safety and security, strong family values, incredible career opportunities and a real sense of financial stability."
When Pakistani national Anam Irfan arrived in the UAE in 1991, she was just a child. Fast forward 35 years, and she says: “I never left.”
The talent advisor and HR consultant, who is based in Dubai, credits the UAE for shaping her life, family and career. She went to school here, met her spouse here, had kids here, and grew her career here – so it’s a place she will choose over every other, every time.
She said: “Honestly, it’s very difficult to find another place that brings together what the UAE does so seamlessly: safety and security, strong family values, incredible career opportunities and a real sense of financial stability. It’s a place where you can build a life, not just a career, and that balance is genuinely impossible to find anywhere else in the world. I have travelled widely and I have yet to find somewhere that offers all those things together, at this level.”
Despite current regional tensions, the mum of two said she feels “deeply confident” in the authorities’ ability to keep her family, her kids, along with other residents informed and safe. “Safety has always been so seamlessly managed here that many of us do not even think about it, day to day. That level of trust does not happen overnight. It is built with years of consistent governance and preparedness, and you feel it in the fabric of daily life.”
She shared the example of just being able to step out, as a woman, at any hour of day or night. The fact that she feels completely secure doing so in Dubai, is something she does not take for granted.
“For me, the UAE has always been a place of warmth, peace, and real belonging. It offers comfort, yes, and even luxury. But those come because of hard work and opportunity. At its core, this is a land where you can genuinely build something meaningful.”
The fact that the UAE prioritizes stability, while simultaneously preparing for the future, is also reassuring to residents like Anam Irfan.
As someone who works in human resources, she shared advice for anyone who is considering moving to this land of opportunities: “Come with ambition, with hunger, and with a clear vision of what you want to build. The UAE provides an incredible platform, but it rewards those who are driven and willing to put in the work. It is a place that multiplies what you bring. If you are someone who dreams big, stays resilient, and embraces both the culture and the pace of growth here, there is truly no better place.”