A recent statement by Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) claims that there is no visa ban imposed on Pakistani citizens by the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The statement has been issued following Dr. Nafisa Shah’s comments during the National Assembly with regards to the possibility of limitations imposed on Pakistani citizens traveling abroad.

UAE Imposes New Visa Policy

Recently, the UAE’s Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs, and Port Security issued a new policy for five-year visas which includes requiring more documents from applicants. Some of these documents are:

• A nonrefundable round-trip ticket

• A reservation for a hotel that needs to be confirmed

• Proof of asset ownership (if owned)

• A nonrefundable advance payment of AED 3,000 or its equivalent

In combination with these changes, the Visa Policy and various obedience measures were drafted in respect to the laws of the UAE to simplify the visa procedure and strengthen the processing criteria.

Nonetheless, MoFA pointed out that significant factors such as identity verification of Pakistanis with existing visas and other associated conditions have resulted in more rigorous processes being put in place. The highlighted issues include the use of fake degrees, forged diplomas, and false employment contracts. Moreover, there are always people who go beyond the duration of their stay, or engage in some political or criminal activities while in Pakistan. Additionally, inappropriate use of social media has led to wider VISA analysis.

To counter these unfavorable conditions, the Pakistani authorities from the embassy based in Abu Dhabi have interacted with UAE officials at the minister and under secretariat levels in attempts to help solve these problems.

The senior officials from the Middle East Division of the MoFA have been in continuous contact with the UAE Embassy in Islamabad to ensure openness while easing the visa burden on Pakistani nationals.

While addressing the media, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar stated there is no formal visa freeze, but there is a heightened level of inquiry stemming from the previously mentioned issues. He guaranteed that the Pakistani administration is doing everything possible to resolve these problems so that passport holders from his country can be issued visas more freely. 

These events clearly express the need and significance of abiding by the legal and moral obligations of applying for visas, as well as the need to take out effective discussions to settle such issues between nations functional relations.