‘Very advantageous’: British expat lists benefits of moving to the ‘richest’ and ‘safest’ country in the world
Qatar has become a mecca for foreign expats
GETTY / YouTube / Lámidé Elizabeth
Britons hoping to retire abroad often set out to find the safest countries, and one destination may perfectly fit the bill.
Qatar has a total population of 2.7 million and has avoided extending its residency rights over fears it could lead to imbalances in its demographic.
Nevertheless, retirees from around the world continue to take up residence in the country’s capital in search of a better lifestyle.
Foreigners are welcome to retire in the nation as long as specific visa and residency requirements are met.
Lámidé Elizabeth explored the city of Doha
Lámidé Elizabeth / Instagram
In a recent YouTube upload, British national Lámidé Elizabeth broke down various aspects of the Middle-Eastern destination and discussed how they may benefit expats.
“One of the reasons I really wanted to go to Qatar is because it’s a country that has zero per cent person income tax, compared to 45 per cent where I’m from, which is the UK,” Lámidé said in the clip.
“Qatar is a small Arab state nested on the cost of the Arabian peninsula and is meant to be the richest country in the world per capita as well as one of the safest countries in the world.”
She added: “In my opinion, just like in Dubai which is where I live, Qatar could be a very good place to build wealth.”
To gain more perspective, Lámidé met up with an American citizen named Tony, who has lived in Qatar for more than 10 years.
“He moved over as a financial controller for Ford,” explained the content creator. “[He] has since retired and has his home aquarium store called Doha Port."
Tony declared. “Being an expat is very advantageous to anyone who comes to the country. Number one, they take care of your healthcare so you don’t have to take care of that on your own.”
Another benefit of being a working expat in Qatar is the accommodation arrangements, according to Tony, which are generally paid for by companies.
“The other great thing about being an expat in Qatar is that everyone speaks English. So even though the national language is Arabic, English is more [widely] spoken than any other language.”
The expat also lauded the cleanliness of the city, which is constantly maintained. He said: “There [are] people cleaning the streets all the time."
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
Tony discussed his own experience in the YouTube clip
YouTiube / Lámidé Elizabeth
It comes as a man who moved to Spain years ago recently warned prospective expats of the different ways “touristification” is changing the country.
He warned that over the years, however, the country has succumbed to many changes due to its evergrowing tourism industry.
Another expat listed two ‘culture shocks’ that people may underestimate when moving to France.
Patricia Brookes documented her experience on her YouTube channel, admitting that two particular challenges stood out; a lack of personal space and unreliable delivery services.