Kathmandu. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has temporarily halted issuing visit visas to Nepali citizens. However, no official reason has been made public so far.
Several travel agencies in Nepal have confirmed that since Monday morning, most visa applications have been rejected. The UAE had been processing visa applications online.
According to a travel agency operator, Dubai had already started tightening visit visa approvals some time ago. Since getting visas from Dubai had become difficult, many Nepalis were applying through Sharjah. But now, Sharjah has also stopped approving visas.
In Sharjah, a one-month visa was being provided at 550 dirhams and a two-month visa at 650 dirhams, with a deposit of 1,030 dirhams. But with sudden rejections from this morning, stakeholders believe this move is a form of temporary restriction.
Visa-related services for the UAE have been managed through travel agencies based in Nepal and Dubai. Dubai had already tightened its visa process starting last January. It had also announced an amnesty program between September and December last year. After the amnesty, Dubai became stricter, Abu Dhabi had already stopped issuing visas, and now with Sharjah also suspending them, Nepalis are facing increasing difficulties traveling to the UAE.
Large numbers of Nepalis used to travel to the UAE on visit visas. Many of them would enter on a visit visa, look for jobs, and later convert it into a working visa.
According to the Nepali Embassy in Abu Dhabi, around 800,000 Nepalis are currently employed in the UAE. Among them, an estimated 70,000 first entered on a visit visa and later converted it into a working visa. In addition, some Nepalis also use Dubai as a transit hub through visit visas to travel to other countries.
Nepal’s Ambassador to the UAE, Tej Bahadur Kshetri, said the embassy has not received any official communication regarding the suspension of visas. However, a Nepali activist in the UAE suggested that the temporary restriction might have been imposed considering Nepal’s ongoing political situation and the rising challenges among Nepalis in the UAE.
Earlier, the embassy had already raised concerns that with the growing Nepali population, cases of overstaying, drug abuse, and involvement in criminal activities were increasing. UAE authorities have also been pressing for stricter measures. In response, the embassy has been working with Dubai and Abu Dhabi police to run awareness programs.