Dubai, September 19: Battling an illegal influx, the UAE has decided to adopt a stricter visa regime for tourists from labour exporting countries like India and Pakistan, under which such travellers will now require a university degree to visit the emirates, a media report said on Tuesday.
Besides India and Pakistan, the largest countries exporting labour to the Gulf nation are the Philippines, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. The new regime bans visit visas for some workers, especially from traditional labour exporting countries to the UAE, and sets a university degree as a prerequisite for obtaining a visa, plus other requirements, a top immigration official told Gulf News .
The official said the move was aimed to better protect citizens and residents by preventing foreign criminals from coming to the UAE. Tourist visas were generally arranged through hotels and travel agents. “The Federal Residency Department, which oversees residency departments across the country, has decided to adopt stricter regimes for tourist, visit and conference visas to curb the influx of blue-collar workers from many labour exporting countries into the country,” said the official.
Categories banned from obtaining tourist, visit or conference visas include electricians, pipe fitters, masons, farmers, drivers, tailors and cleaners.
The requirements include round trip tickets, proofs of a confirmed hotel booking and enough money to finance the stay.
The move was prompted by the recent arrests of scores of foreigners on tourist, visit and conference visasThe UAE last reviewed its visa requirements for other countries in 2008, the report said.
Comments
Add new comment