Thanks for the feedback all, much appreciated. Indeed the allowances listed are all on a monthly basis, otherwise it would be impossible.
Since I will be the local director of the company, granting myself an exit visa should not be much of a problem. Part of the deal is also that my wife will be hired as a part-time admin assistant. She's not the type contend with minding kids, home and garden. She's got a very good head, and if it's not used properly she'll go mental. I guess that should solve the 'minimum 6 months before you can sponsor a family' issue. I mean, a mother is allowed to bring her kids, right?
One major concern is schooling. We are, perhaps foolishly, telling ourselves this would be an excellent chance for the kids to get out of the bubble they live in now, and see what other places, cultures and habits are like. If nothing else, they'll come back with an excellent command of a very useful 2nd language (English, not Arabic, in case you wondered). However, if a decent school is right next to Unobtanium in the periodic table, then that's a definite deal breaker. Any recommendations for good schools?
I'm off late February/early March, planning to stay for a couple of weeks and see if the shoe fits, so to speak.