UAE temporarily halts new visas due to COVID.
UAE temporarily halts new visas due to COVID.
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n November 18, the United Arab Emirates has issued to stop the issuance of new visas to citizens of 13 mostly Muslim-majority countries over “security concerns,” according to a report by Reuters news agency. These countries include Afghanistan, Algeria, Iran, Iraq, Kenya, Lebanon, Libya, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey and Yemen.
A statement released, days after Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi concluded his two-day trip to UAE aimed at seeking a resolution to the visa ban. On Sunday the Pakistani foreign office released a statement saying that the Gulf state’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan “(reaffirmed) the UAE’s appreciation of the 1.5million strong Pakistani community and their active contribution to the growth and prosperity of the country.”
“The Pakistani community and our diaspora in the UAE have contributed significantly to the UAE’s progress and development and it is acknowledged and appreciated and we are grateful for that. There are some issues of concerns that I discussed and I am expecting a resolution of them,” Qureshi said in a news conference on Friday in Abu Dhabi.
The interior ministry of UAE assured that the one-week flight ban may be extended “until medical information about the nature of this virus becomes clear.” Citizens of those countries who were already in the UAE did not appear to be affected by the new restrictions also cargo flights and supply chains will not be affected. “Entry to the kingdom through land and sea ports will also be suspended for a week, which can be extended by another week,” stated the Saudi Press Agency.
