Temporary togetherness: South Asian expatriate parents keeping their children in the UAE for university

How do South Asian expatriate parents in the UAE approach the university decision-making process for their teenage children, given their temporary status in the country? Drawing upon a survey of 110 parents, interviews with 32 parents and four college admissions coaches, and ethnographic research at university fairs and open days, we find that these parents increasingly view UAE universities as a viable option, despite the fact that permanent settlement in the country is impossible. Key factors influencing this attitudinal shift include the improved quality and variety of degree programs; their varying price-points to match different budgets; the greater safety and comforts of the UAE; and most importantly, the reframing of studying university in the UAE as simply deferring their children’s stepwise migration to the West by a few years. Given their involuntary state of temporariness, these parents understood that their children’s future (and even their own) would likely involve more migration, with parents potentially returning to their origin country while their children settled in the West or elsewhere. Extending their time together as an intact family unit by choosing a UAE university helps delay the potential separation that awaits these transient migrant families.