Rising UAE visa rejections leave Pakistani travellers in limbo – World

When 28-year-old Nadeem, a marketing professional from Lahore, planned his first leisure trip to Dubai this year, he never imagined it would turn into a months-long ordeal. He applied for a visit visa through a travel agency, confident it would be a “routine process”. Instead, his application was rejected twice: first in January, then again at the beginning of November.

The agency handling his case told him the reason was simple: he was “under 40”, and younger applicants were facing higher scrutiny. For Nadeem, who chose to be identified by his first name only, the explanation only added to the confusion already circulating among frustrated travellers.

“I don’t understand it. What does my age have to do with anything? I’m employed full-time, and I submitted my bank statement. My friend, a freelancer, got it on the first attempt. I have applied for a third time, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed, but it’s exhausting,” he told Dawn.

Visa rejections have recently become a recurring issue for Pakistanis travelling to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), despite the Gulf country’s close diplomatic, economic, and cultural ties with Pakistan. Abu Dhabi is Islamabad’s major trading partner in the Middle East and a key source of remittances, hosting a large Pakistani expatriate population.

On Thursday, Additional Interior Secretary Salman Chaudhry told the Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights that the UAE had not been issuing visas to Pakistanis, though he clarified there was no formal ban on Pakistani passports. Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri, who heads the committee, told Dawn that the restrictions were imposed due to concerns about travellers “getting involved in criminal activities,” and said very few visas had been granted lately, “after much difficulty.”

The issue has persisted for months. In January 2025, the Senate Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis was informed that some visas to the UAE had been “unofficially closed”. Overseas Employment Promoter Aisam Baig said the UAE had reservations about Pakistanis on visit visas potentially “resorting to begging”.

The following month, Pakistan’s former ambassador to the UAE, Faisal Niaz Tirmizi, described the Gulf country’s refusal of visas to Pakistani nationals as a “serious and significant” issue. In comments to Arab News, he said Emirati authorities had raised concerns about the authenticity of documents, including educational credentials, as well as cases involving applicants with criminal records. “If they find a dichotomy somewhere, even if the document is genuine but the attestation either in Pakistan or in the UAE is not genuine, it could cause major rejections,” Tirmizi said, adding that AI-based verification systems were now being used.

In April, UAE Ambassador to Pakistan Hamad Obaid Ibrahim Salem Al-Zaabi announced that visa issues had been resolved and Pakistanis could now avail a five-year visa.

Despite these assurances, early July saw renewed problems. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi raised the issue with his UAE counterpart, and during a July 11 meeting, UAE Lt Gen Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan assured full support in expediting visas for Pakistani citizens.

Yet, travellers continued to face obstacles.

Fatima Attarwala, a journalist, recalled her attempts to cover Gulfood, a major event in Dubai: “My visa got rejected twice. First, we went through one agency, then to the official agency coordinating the event, but every visa application for those under 45 was rejected. Even company directors’ visas weren’t approved in the first round. The second round only granted visas to applicants over 45 years of age. It’s not a Pakistan-only problem — people from Africa and other countries also faced the same.”

Syed Abbas Raza Naqvi, 25, who works for an American company, said he received repeated rejections despite corporate sponsorship. “I started trying in September last year for a conference in January. My company provided the invitation and all the supporting documents, but it still didn’t work. I tried three times. Eventually, a ‘guaranteed visa’ was issued at a higher fee, but the process remains opaque and stressful.”

Abbas applied for a five-year, multiple-entry visit visa in September this year, only to be rejected again.

“The visa cost $1,200 (Rs 339,000). I was refunded $650, but it was still a significant loss. Luckily, my company covered the expense, but overall, it was a disheartening experience,” he lamented.

A tech entrepreneur from Karachi, 36, who also had their visa rejected, told Dawn on the condition of anonymity that they had tried in September this year. “I then applied for a fresh visa rather than through my first application. Surprisingly, it was then granted in the same month.”

Muzamil Asif, a sports journalist assigned to cover the Asia Cup in Dubai, was unable to travel after his visa was rejected, despite having the necessary accreditation and documentation.

“Our travel agent said ‘100 per cent rejection’ for Dubai visas. Every agency refused to apply. The Pakistan Cricket Board advised applying via Abu Dhabi, but even then, the process was uncertain. In the end, my visa was rejected because I’m a single man under 35. The ticket and hotel bookings were already done, and my news outlet lost nearly Rs100,000.”

Travel agencies corroborated the trend.

Saher Nazeer, the customer services representative at Visa Express Karachi, told Dawn that “first-time and single-entry visa applications for Dubai face 70 to 80pc rejections, while family ties improve chances”.

Zaheer Zubair, the manager at Trips Travel & Tours, added that single visas had an approval rate of just 20pc, whereas family visas see around 80pc acceptance.

Ubaid Sajjad, a travel agent at AEG-Visa, cited strict financial requirements to get a visa. “You have better chances if you provide a six-month bank statement with around Rs3 million,” he said. “Insufficient funds are the major reason for single visa rejections.”

Meanwhile, Quratulain, an agent at Premio Travel & Tours, said “previous overstaying and unclear financial documentation” were the causes for rejection.

Discussions on Pakistani social media reveal wider frustration. Reddit users described blocked transit visas and contradictory messages from agencies like VFS Global, with one user noting that professional status or age often determined whether a visa would be approved. Some users said there was effectively a “ban on visit visas for Pakistanis in Dubai” due to concerns over alleged illegal migration.

However, a senior diplomat at the UAE embassy, who wished not to be named, dismissed the speculation, telling Dawn that “there is no ban on UAE visas for Pakistani citizens”.

“The UAE government issues visas daily to various categories of applicants. However, some Pakistani travel agents had tampered with applicants’ data in the past, leading to issues, after which a centralised visa system was introduced,” he said.

He added the UAE had set up three biometric desks at the embassy to ensure transparency in the application process.

“There are 2.27 million Pakistanis residing in the UAE, who can sponsor their families under the new law. However, those with criminal records — those who have tampered with their data — are being asked to correct their records,” the diplomat said.

On the other hand, UAE Ambassador Zaabi shared major visa facilitation reforms with Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on Thursday, including online processing, e-visas without passport stamping, and faster system-to-system linkages. According to a post on the Ministry of Finance’s X account, nearly 500 visas are processed daily at the newly launched UAE Visa Centre in Pakistan.

Despite the diplomatic assurances and recently announced reforms, the experiences of Nadeem and other Pakistani visa seekers show how uncertainty still hovers over the process.

“It feels like you’re playing a lottery with your plans, your work commitments, and your money,” a dejected Nadeem told Dawn over the phone. “I just want to know if I can go or not and be done with it.”

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Additional reporting by Abdullah Mohmand.

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Header image: The empty Sheikh Zayed Road is made ready for the early morning start of the “Dubai Run 2025” as part of the 9th Edition of Dubai Fitness Challenge, in Dubai on November 23, 2025. — AFP