متحدہ عرب امارات نے ان شہروں سے تعلق رکھنے والے پاکستانی
شہریوں کے وزٹ ویزا پر پابندی عائد کر دی ہے
LAHORE – The authorities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE)
have restricted visit visa for Pakistanis belonging to some specific
cities.
The restriction has not been officially announced, but
people with certain cities as their ‘place of birth’ would not be awarded visit
visas for Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.
Some travel agents whose clients have been victim of this
restriction say that Pakistani citizens having the following cities as their
'place of birth' might not get the UAE visit visa:
Abbottabad, Attock, Bajaur Agency, Chakwal, Dera Ghazi Khan,
Dera Ismail Khan, Hangu, Hunza, Quetta, Kasur, Kohat, Kotli AJK, Khushab,
Kurram Agency, Larkana, Mohmand Agency, Muzaffargarh, Nawabshah, Parachinar,
Sahiwal, Sargodha, Sheikhupura, Skardu and Sukkur.
The restriction doesn’t mean all visa applications would be
rejected, but chances are slim Pakistanis having the aforementioned cities as
their 'place of birth' will get UAE visit visa.
Daily Pakistan got in touch with immigration officials in
Lahore and one of them said on condition of anonymity that the restriction has
been imposed by the UAE immigration authorities due to multiple reasons, including
visa rules violations.
"Potential visitors with a clean travel history and
sound bank statement still have good chances of getting a UAE visit visa,"
he said.
He said that initially the restriction was imposed on visa
seekers from 6 Pakistani cities, but later the number of cities was increased
to 24.
"The immigration department gives go-ahead only to
potential visitors with approximately 5,000 DHS and a return ticket," said
the official.
It is to be mentioned that UAE hosts about 1.7 million Pakistanis,
the second largest Pakistani expat community in the world.
The data by the State Bank of Pakistan confirms that the
volume of remittances from the UAE to Pakistan in fiscal year 2022 was $2555.22
million, implying that a sizeable Pakistani workforce is employed in the
country in diverse fields from banks to real estate.