'No restrictions on work visas for Pakistanis travelling to UAE'

The Senate Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development has been informed that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has not imposed restrictions on work visas for Pakistani nationals.

"If Pakistanis face issues getting a work visa, it would be forwarded to the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis," standing committee chairman Senator Zeeshan Khanzada said on Wednesday.

The statement follows media reports alleging that the UAE proposed a visa ban on Pakistanis, citing an increase in nationals involved in begging.

In efforts to discourage the trend, Director General of the Bureau of Immigration Muhammad Tayyab last month informed the standing committee that Pakistani citizens travelling to the Gulf state would now require a police verification report.

This directive applies to all travel cases, ensuring that no individual departs for any Gulf country without proper clearance, he said in his earlier statement, adding that all agents facilitating travel to the UAE were instructed to adhere to the new requirement.

During Wednesday's meeting, the travel agents briefed the committee members on the issue regarding the alleged ban on UAE visas.

Aisam Baig, an Overseas Employment Promoter (OEP), informed the committee that UAE visas had been "unofficially closed" for a year now, with a 50% decrease in the number of Pakistani workers travelling there.

"The UAE government has reservations over the increasing number of Pakistanis begging in their country," he said, noting that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif should take up the issue with the Emirati authorities.

Meanwhile, Secretary Overseas Pakistanis Arshad Mahmood said that 90% of the country's immigration sector was private. "We are facing setbacks due to exporting substandard workers to the UAE," he added

Meanwhile, according to Bureau of Immigration Director General Muhammad Tayyab, travelling trends to the UAE fluctuate, with 64% comprising skilled workers and 36% unskilled workers heading to the Gulf states.

He added that the UAE was accepting fewer people from other countries as well, including India and Bangladesh.

The standing committee suggested that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs should look into the issue of visit visa restrictions.

UAE visa policy

Denying the restriction rumours, UAE Consul General Dr Bakheet Ateeq Al Remeithi Last month said, "Whoever wants to get a visa should come to the UAE visa centre".

Previously, while speaking on Geo News' programme "Geo Pakistan" in August, the envoy linked visa issuance to people's social media activity, revealing that the UAE authorities do, in fact, scrutinise and assess visa applicants' social media activity and advised the people to be careful about their digital footprint as every individual is a representative of their country.

"Regardless of which social media platform you use either in Pakistan or the UAE, whatever you share or like leaves a digital footprint [...] whether you share, liked something good or bad [....] these things will lead to your ban [or visa rejection]," he remarked.

Elaborating on his government's concerns and policies regarding visa issuance, the Gulf nation's envoy complained that people from some nations indulge in riots if the situation in their home country deteriorates and said that "people have to go to hospitals, there can be some other emergencies [...] this shouldn't happen".

"People work round the clock here [...] blocking roads, and spreading misinformation about someone else is not part of the UAE's culture. Our laws and regulations don't allow this at all," the consul general said.