<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>In a city teeming with expats, Emiratis are a minority in </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/us-israel-attacks-iran-air-strikes-rock-dubai-reputation/0c961082-f5a0-4bc4-a440-717be79e027a" rel="" target="_blank" title="Dubai"><span>Dubai</span></a><span>.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Foreign nationals </span><a href="https://www.globalmediainsight.com/blog/uae-population-statistics/" rel="" target="_blank" title="represent close to 90 per cent"><span>represent close to 90 per cent</span></a><span> of the entire United Arab Emirates (UAE) population.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/us-israel-attack-iran-live-updates-march-13-donald-trump-latest-news-headlines/2c48fadd-6ec9-4b19-9392-9ec9255db683" rel="" target="_blank" title="When the war began"><span>When the war began</span></a><span>, an estimated 20,000 Australians were living permanently in Dubai alone.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>And despite Foreign Minister Penny Wong's insistence that Australian expats still in the Middle East should book a flight home now, plenty have no plans to leave.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/uk-eta-rules-family-scotland-trip-ruined/6ea6d79b-6e43-4adc-9507-d2b80096cbdf" rel="" target="_blank" title="Jessica's family trip was ruined over a 'distressing' citizenship revelation"><strong><span>Jessica's family trip was ruined over a 'distressing' citizenship revelation</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><em><strong><span>Do you have a story? Contact</span></strong></em><span> </span><strong><em><span>reporter April Glover at</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="mailto:april.glover@nine.com.au" target="" title="april.glover@nine.com.au"><em><strong><span>april.glover@nine.com.au</span></strong></em></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Some also claim the Western world has misrepresented their beloved Gulf home.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/national/iran-war-australian-expats-in-dubai-why-they-are-staying-in-middle-east/dc1c1f5c-643e-451d-b5fa-bbf1d5383e30" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Australian-born real estate broker Jessica Stephens saw the UAE city as a "land of opportunity" and decided to book a one-way ticket to Dubai to grow her career.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"My life here is very different to Australia, I was working a 9-5 corporate job, and then moving to Dubai and starting a real estate career, my life completely changed," she told </span><a href="https://www.nine.com.au/?rf=true" rel="" target="" title="Nine.com.au."><span>Nine.com.au.</span></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"There are people from over 200 nationalities and countries living in Dubai. The social scene was the biggest change."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Stephens has lived comfortably on the Persian Gulf coast since 2024.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>When air strikes began in the Gulf region in late February, Dubai was targeted by a campaign of offensives.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>About 1700 missiles and drones have been fired at the Emirates so far, according to the UAE defence ministry.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The airspace was promptly shut, leaving tens of thousands of Australian travellers stranded.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>LIVE UPDATES:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/us-israel-attack-iran-live-updates-march-13-donald-trump-latest-news-headlines/2c48fadd-6ec9-4b19-9392-9ec9255db683" target="_blank"><strong><span>Iran reveals underground 'missile tunnels</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Flights resumed a few days later, and many scrambled to land a coveted ticket out of the warzone.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Stephens, however, was not one of them.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"For the first few days of course, I was a little bit nevous and a little bit anxious, it was an unfamiliar situation," she said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"But I had complete faith in the UAE government from the very beginning.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"From day one, I never had any reason for concern."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Around 3600 Australians have returned home from the Middle East since the conflict began – most of them tourists who became caught in transit.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>But Wong yesterday issued a direct message for expats living in the region.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I would speak to the Australians, the expats who live in the Middle East: our view, our advice is if you can secure a seat on a commercial flight, you should take it," Wong said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Please do not wait until it is too late."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>This message is likely going unheeded by thousands of expats like Stephens, who said everyone is feeling "safe".</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/not-so-grey-nomads-max-and-duncan-cancer-diagnosis-during-australia-road-trip/40ca16ad-c8f3-4539-832e-45b1c40bba01" target="_blank" title="Max and Duncan sold everything to become nomads. Then came a grim diagnosis"><strong><span>Max and Duncan sold everything to become nomads. Then came a grim diagnosis</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>She is "more than happy" to leave the seats on repatriation flights for unwitting Australian travellers stuck in limbo.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We are not in a rush to go home," Stephens added.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"All of my Australian friends here, my Australian clients, everyone I have spoken to, have not felt the need to return home.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We are feeling very safe, we know this will come to an end, hopefully very soon.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We just want the Australian community to know we are safe and well and to not worry."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Stephens said her day-to-day life has now largely returned to normal, though the number of property viewings has slowed following the flight ban.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/ebike-crash-brisbane-two-teens-killed-in-ebike-collision-with-harley-davidson-in-greenbank/c696abc9-6dc7-45ae-8894-5a4327bd80e6" target="_blank"><strong><span>Two teens killed in e-bike collision with Harley Davidson in Brisbane</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/melbourne" rel="" target="_blank" title="Melbourne"><span>Melbourne</span></a><span>-born buyer's agent David Hutchinson moved to Dubai three years ago.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Hutchinson said he has sold hundreds of millions of dollars worth of property mostly to Australian expats like himself.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Financially, it's been life-changing for me," he told Nine.com.au.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>While the immediate aftermath of the early strikes required "caution", Hutchinson said he never felt unsafe in Dubai.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>It didn't cross his mind to book a flight back to Australia either.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Dubai is home," he said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Whilst caution has been needed, the situation has not been as bad as some media outlets have portrayed."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Hutchinson said the days following the retaliatory strikes were a little like COVID-19 in Melbourne.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Residents were urged to stay indoors and work from home.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"This was only for a few days, then the majority of the private sector returned to working from the office," he said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>As for any negative sentiment towards expats in Dubai who came to reap the benefits of the tax-free haven, Hutchinson said some portrayals of his lifestyle have been "unfair".</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Some expats, including influencers and entrepreneurs, have copped backlash online for either not mentioning the conflict or becoming citizen journalists.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"It is very unfair to penalise people or have a negative attitude towards people who moved to Dubai in search of creating a better life for themselves," he added.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><em><span>NEVER MISS A STORY:</span></em></strong><span> </span><em><span>Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.</span></em></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><ul><li><strong><em><span>Download the 9NEWS App here via</span></em></strong><span> 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