Move from the UAE to Australia? What 13,063 UAE-born residents tell Gulf families about the step

Tips · 2026-10-26 · 8 min read

A South Asian family unpacks moving boxes in their sunny Perth home, with the father holding a closed folder.

If you plan to move from the UAE to Australia, you will not be the first family to make that step. The 2021 Census counted 13,063 people in Australia who were born in the United Arab Emirates, with a median age of just 18, and 41.1% of them had arrived between 2016 and 2021. Their most common ancestry was Indian, which points to expatriate families as well as Emirati ones. Read together with the figures for people born in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, the Census describes a young, recent, family-shaped community, and that shapes how you should plan your own move.

What the Census counts, and what it does not

The Census counts people by country of birth. A child born in Dubai to Indian, Filipino or British parents is counted as UAE-born, while their parents are counted under their own birth countries.

That matters when you read the numbers. They do not show how many Gulf residents moved to Australia. They show the children, and some adults, who were born in the Gulf and now live there.

Measure (2021 Census)	Figure	What it suggests for your move
Born in the UAE	13,063 people	A visible group of families who moved before you
Median age of UAE-born residents	18	Half are 18 or younger: largely children who came with their parents
UAE-born residents who arrived 2016 to 2021	41.1% (5,365 people)	A large share arrived within five years of the Census
UAE-born residents who were Australian citizens	64.0%	Most had settled for the long term
Most common ancestry of UAE-born residents	Indian, 29.4% (3,842 people)	A sign of expatriate families as well as Emirati ones
Born in Saudi Arabia	11,684 people	A second large Gulf-born group
Born in Kuwait	6,815 people	A smaller but established group

The source is the Australian Bureau of Statistics' Census QuickStats for people born in the UAE, with matching pages for Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. The QuickStats pages used here cover the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

A median age of 18: this is a story about families

When half of a birthplace group is 18 or younger, many of the people behind the numbers are children who moved with working parents. For a professional in Dubai or Doha weighing the move, that is a useful signal: families with children have made this step before you.

The visa rules support it. The Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482) lets you include your partner and dependent children in the application, and the family can live, study and work in Australia.

Our Skills in Demand (482) visa guide explains how an employer sponsors the main applicant.

What bringing the family costs, in dirhams

Each family member adds to the visa charge. The 482 base charge is AUD4,015.00, and the additional applicant charge is AUD4,015.00 for each applicant 18 and over and AUD1,005.00 for each applicant under 18.

Who applies	Visa charge (AUD)	Rough value in AED
Main applicant	4,015.00	About AED 10,251
Partner (18 or over)	4,015.00	About AED 10,251
Each child under 18	1,005.00	About AED 2,566
Family of four (two adults, two children)	AUD 10,050	About AED 25,660

These are rough comparisons only, at the Central Bank of the UAE's rate of 2.553184 dirhams per Australian dollar on its page updated 07 October 2026. Rates change daily, and the charges are set by the Home Affairs Visa Pricing Table.

The employer's own costs are separate. The sponsoring business must pay all costs of becoming a sponsor and nominating you, and cannot pass them to you or your family. Our cost briefing on Australia's 2026 visa charges covers the wider budget.

From 41.1% recent arrivals to 64.0% citizens: the long view

Two figures sit side by side in the Census: a large share of recent arrivals, and a majority of citizens. Together they describe families who arrived, stayed and settled.

One employer-sponsored path has three stages. A 482 holder's employer may be able to sponsor them for permanent residence through the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186), whose Temporary Residence Transition stream is for holders who have usually worked at least 2 years full time in eligible sponsored employment.

The 186 is permanent: holders can stay indefinitely, enrol in Medicare and travel to and from Australia for 5 years. Citizenship then needs 4 years living in Australia on a valid visa, including the last 12 months on a permanent visa. The rules are on the Home Affairs citizenship page for permanent residents.

Until permanent residence, plan for health cover yourself: 482 holders must maintain adequate health insurance for their whole stay, as a condition of the visa.

Papers the whole family needs from the Gulf

A family file is several individual files. Home Affairs may ask for a police certificate from every country a person lived in, usually if they are over 17 and lived there for at least 12 months in the past 10 years. An older teenager raised in Sharjah may need one too.

Our guide to Gulf police clearance for an Australian visa sets out one certificate for every country you called home.

Health examinations outside Australia must be done by an approved panel physician, booked with a HAP ID. Home Affairs lists four panel physicians in the UAE, and others in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain.

The first weeks after landing

The Census families all went through the same first tasks, and none of them needs an agent. With a work visa, you can apply for a tax file number (TFN) online through the ATO; it is free and should arrive within 28 days.

To open a bank account, Moneysmart says you can visit a branch, ask for an everyday account with no fees and show your passport. Your employer then pays wages into that account, with a pay slip showing earnings, tax and super.

Super is your retirement savings, paid by your employer on top of wages at 12.00% from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027. Visa holders have the same workplace rights as everyone else, including pay, leave and protection from discrimination; the Fair Work page for visa holders sets them out.

A considered plan for a family move

Read the Census pages for the Gulf country your children were born in, and note what families like yours did.
Choose a sponsored role that fits your experience; browse accounting and finance roles or our other categories.
Update your CV for Australian employers. Build AI CV can help you present Gulf roles in a clear Australian format.
Once you hold an offer, include your partner and children in the 482 application and budget for each applicant's charge.
Arrange police certificates and panel medicals for every family member who needs them, close to lodgement.
Keep your UAE residence valid while you wait; see why holding on to your UAE residence visa protects the move.
Time your resignation around the grant, using our guide to the UAE notice period on resignation.

Common mistakes Gulf families make when planning Australia

Reading the Census as a count of expats who moved. It counts people born in the Gulf, so most of them are children.
Budgeting for one visa charge. Every partner and child adds an applicant charge.
Forgetting older teenagers' paperwork. Police certificates are usually asked for from people over 17.
Resigning before the grant. Wait for a confirmed offer and the necessary approvals before you end a job or a lease.
Skipping health cover. On a 482 the family needs adequate health insurance for the whole stay.

Frequently asked questions

How many people born in the UAE live in Australia?

The 2021 Census counted 13,063 people in Australia who were born in the United Arab Emirates, with a median age of 18. It also counted 11,684 people born in Saudi Arabia and 6,815 born in Kuwait.

Are UAE-born people in Australia mostly Emirati?

Not necessarily. The Census counts country of birth, and the most common ancestry of UAE-born residents was Indian, at 29.4%. That suggests many are children of expatriate families who were born in the UAE.

Can I bring my family on a 482 visa from Dubai?

The 482 lets you include your partner and dependent children in the application, and the family can live, study and work in Australia. Each family member adds an applicant charge to the visa cost.

How much does it cost to add children to a 482 visa?

The additional applicant charge is AUD1,005.00 for each applicant under 18 and AUD4,015.00 for each applicant 18 and over. At the Central Bank of the UAE rate of 07 October 2026, AUD1,005.00 is roughly AED 2,566.

How long before a Gulf family can become Australian citizens?

Citizenship needs 4 years living in Australia on a valid visa, including the last 12 months on a permanent visa. One employer-sponsored path runs from a 482 to a permanent visa such as the subclass 186 first.

Key takeaways

The 2021 Census counted 13,063 UAE-born people in Australia, with a median age of 18.
Indian is the most common ancestry, so the figures largely reflect expatriate families.
41.1% had arrived between 2016 and 2021, and 64.0% were Australian citizens.
A 482 can include your partner and children, but each adds an applicant charge.
Plan police certificates, medicals and health insurance for every family member.

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