Dubai Tops List of Cities from Immigration, Says Remitly

Dubai, the largest city in the UAE, has emerged as the most preferred destination for people from 60 countries around the world to migrate, according to the US-based online remittance service provider Remitly.

In its latest survey entitled “The Most Popular Cities for Moving Abroad,” Remitly said that the study was based on Google search data over the past 12 months in 164 countries examining search volumes for the phrase, “move to city,” and Dubai topped the list with the support of 60 countries, including Canada, the UK and the US.

What makes Dubai the most attractive destination for people to emigrate is its smart infrastructure and services, foreign resident-friendly policies and relatively high, tax-free salaries. The second-most searched place after Dubai was Miami in the US, followed by Paris, New York, Madrid and Singapore.

Known for its ultramodern architecture, lively nightlife scene, year-round sunshine and plentiful employment opportunities, Dubai is clearly viewed around the world as an incredibly desirable place to live with its population having risen by almost 100,000 during the 12-month period between 2022 and 2023.

For anyone wanting a fresh start in a new city where it’s easy to meet and make friends from all corners of the world, Dubai emerged as the ideal relocation destination.

Emiratis Look at Singapore

However, those in the UAE themselves were found to be angling for a move to Singapore, another city featuring in Remitly’s top ten list and known for its varied community of expats, and vast array of job opportunities. Other popular options included Miami, known by locals as ‘The Magic City,’ Paris, New York City, and Spain’s capital Madrid.

At the height of COVID-19 in 2020, Remitly found that there was an increase in the searches for moving abroad from people looking to alter their lives on a grand scale and take the leap of living and working in an entirely new country.

At that time, Canada was the preferred relocation country of choice around the world and this time Remitly focussed on the most popular cities around the world that people want to move to.

Over the last three decades, there’s been a continued increase in international migration, with the latest stats showing that an estimated 281 million people live in a country other than their country of birth as of 2020 — 128 million more than in 1990, and the equivalent of 3.6% of the global population.

List of Top 10 Cities

Dubai (People from 60 countries), Miami (people from 12 countries), Paris (10), New York City (8), Madrid  (8) and Singapore (8 each countries), London and Brussels (6 each countries), Toronto (3) and Washington DC, Buenos Aires, Christchurch, Quebec City, Bogota, Portland, Vienna, Phoenix, Chicago (10 each countries) respectively