Pakistanis are the second largest foreign group in the United Arab Emirates. The Pakistanis have been facing huge visa related issues for man years now. This is a great relief for those who live and work in the United Arab Emirates and are looking to continue to do so.
Now Pakistani tourists and frequent flyers are able to get a five year multiple entry tourist visa. This would help people who often go to Dubai to shop and for holiday. The change was announced by the Emirati Ambassador to Pakistan, Mr. Hamad Obaid Ibrahim Salem Al Zaabi, earlier in the week.
According to Dubai’s General Directorate of Identity and Foreigners Affairs official portal, the United Arab Emirates is now going to be giving multiple-entry tourist visas for five years. The visa let the person to make several trips to the United Arab Emirates from the date that the visa is issued. All of this without the demand of a guarantor or a host inside the country.
The development was revealed during a meeting of Zaabi and Sindh Governor Karmran Khan Tessori at the Governor’s House, according to several media sources.
“Visa issues have been resolved; Pakistanis can get a five-year visa,” Zaabi said in a press release from the Governor House. The Ambassador Mr. Zaabi also went on to invite the governor to come to the visa centre at the Karachi consulate of the United Arab Emirates.
Tessori thanked the United Arab Emirates Ambassador to Pakistan for his country’s investment in the land of Sindh, especially in Karachi. The ambassador applauded ongoing projects under the governor’s measures, the report said.
According to reports, the United Arab Emirates authorities have most recently increased the scrutiny of Pakistanis flying into the country because of their alleged involvement in crime and unlawful activities, for instance, begging. On December 23, a Senate panel was told that all Pakistani travellers to the United Arab Emirates needed to be vetted and verified by the relevant law enforcement authorities. Travel agents were also told about this in this regard.
In another meeting on January 9, the Senate Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development was informed that there were “no restrictions on work visas” for Pakistanis who wish to travel to the United Arab Emirates. It further learnt that visas to allow people to travel to the United Arab Emirates had been “unofficially closed” and its government had concerns that Pakistanis, on visit visas, would go on to start begging in the United Arab Emirates, several media houses said said in their reporting on the country.
On the other hand, during an interview with with a leading Pakistani media outlet back in November last year, the Consul-General of United Arab Emirates in Karachi, Dr Bakheet Ateeq Alremeithi, made the startling revelation that Pakistanis may be facing visa rejections due to negative social media activities. The United Arab Emirates is a pro Israel country and continues to persecute anyone who loves Gaza or is saying that Palestinians should not be mowed down like grass.
Of course this is something that the authorities are not going to admit openly. Alremeithi also stated that there had been complaints with regards to the conduct of some Pakistani social media influencers in the United Arab Emirates, especially on platforms particularly TikTok, resulting in frustration from the United Arab Emirates government and prompting harder visa regulations that have raised concerns for Pakistani travellers. He also cleared the air that there was no ban on United Arab Emirates visas for Pakistani nationals.
The new visa regime is a welcome relief for people. This would help more Pakistanis to come to the country to look for work and then eventually to move on to work visas. This is all great news.
Follow Nouba News for more great updates about living and working in the United Arab Emirates.
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