Pakistan Rejects UAE Visa Ban Speculation - ProPakistani

Islamabad has dismissed speculation about the United Arab Emirates visa policy for Pakistanis, saying Abu Dhabi is issuing far more visas than the number of people being sent back.

Foreign Office spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan told a weekly briefing that the UAE offers jobs and visas to Pakistani nationals on a much larger scale than the number of repatriations.

He said around 7,000 to 8,000 Pakistanis are repatriated from the UAE each year, while 40,000 to 50,000 Pakistanis receive visas and employment.

Khan said the repatriations happen on different grounds, including overstays and minor offences. He added that some Pakistanis also lose legal status after staying beyond their permitted period.

The spokesperson said he was not aware of any visa ban on Pakistanis by the Qatari embassy. He said visa processing may be taking longer because of the regional situation, but stressed that Pakistan enjoys strong relations with Qatar.

Khan said a large number of Pakistanis are working in Qatar in civilian and security-related fields, and he had not seen any confirmed reports of a visa restriction there.

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