The United Arab Emirates has effectively stopped issuing visit visas to the vast majority of Pakistani nationals, according to multiple reports confirmed by officials in Islamabad. Speaking before Pakistan’s Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights on 27 November, Additional Interior Secretary Salman Chaudhry said the UAE “is not issuing visas to Pakistanis” and is limiting entry to holders of diplomatic or service (“blue”) passports only. He warned senators that the Gulf state and neighbouring Saudi Arabia had “stopped short of imposing a ban on the Pakistani passport” and that any formal ban would be difficult to reverse.
Pakistani diplomats say the unofficial freeze began earlier this year amid Emirati concerns that some visitors were overstaying and becoming involved in low-level crime or street begging. Tensions rose after Saudi Arabia deported more than 5,000 Pakistanis caught begging, prompting Gulf governments to re-examine visit-visa screening. The Economic Times, citing UAE immigration sources, reported on 28 November that the Emirates has now “halted regular visa issuance” for Pakistanis until further notice.
![UAE freezes most visit visas for Pakistanis, allowing only diplomatic and ‘blue’ passports]()
While Emirati officials in Islamabad deny a blanket ban, travel agents report that first-time and single-entry applications are being returned with the status “rejected – nationality criteria.” Only travellers with diplomatic, official or UN laissez-passer documents are routinely approved, leaving thousands of Pakistani jobseekers, tourists and family-visit applicants in limbo. The freeze also affects companies in the UAE that rely on Pakistani manpower for construction, retail and domestic work, creating immediate staffing gaps and contract-delivery risks.
Corporate mobility teams should expect significantly longer lead-times for obtaining UAE entry permits for Pakistani nationals and factor possible rerouting of assignments to other Gulf states. Pakistani employees already in the Emirates on residence visas are not affected, but renewals may face extra scrutiny; HR managers are therefore advised to initiate renewal processes well before expiry and to keep redundant labour approvals on file. Businesses should also brief travelling executives to carry proof of diplomatic status where applicable and to avoid booking non-refundable tickets until visa approval is issued.
Looking ahead, mobility advisers expect the UAE to formalise an enhanced risk-profiling system rather than maintain a total freeze. Islamabad has offered to introduce biometric vetting and system-to-system data sharing to reassure Abu Dhabi. Until a political understanding is reached, however, Pakistani mobility into the UAE will remain severely restricted, with consequential knock-on effects for Gulf labour supply chains and Pakistani remittance flows.
Pakistani diplomats say the unofficial freeze began earlier this year amid Emirati concerns that some visitors were overstaying and becoming involved in low-level crime or street begging. Tensions rose after Saudi Arabia deported more than 5,000 Pakistanis caught begging, prompting Gulf governments to re-examine visit-visa screening. The Economic Times, citing UAE immigration sources, reported on 28 November that the Emirates has now “halted regular visa issuance” for Pakistanis until further notice.
While Emirati officials in Islamabad deny a blanket ban, travel agents report that first-time and single-entry applications are being returned with the status “rejected – nationality criteria.” Only travellers with diplomatic, official or UN laissez-passer documents are routinely approved, leaving thousands of Pakistani jobseekers, tourists and family-visit applicants in limbo. The freeze also affects companies in the UAE that rely on Pakistani manpower for construction, retail and domestic work, creating immediate staffing gaps and contract-delivery risks.
Corporate mobility teams should expect significantly longer lead-times for obtaining UAE entry permits for Pakistani nationals and factor possible rerouting of assignments to other Gulf states. Pakistani employees already in the Emirates on residence visas are not affected, but renewals may face extra scrutiny; HR managers are therefore advised to initiate renewal processes well before expiry and to keep redundant labour approvals on file. Businesses should also brief travelling executives to carry proof of diplomatic status where applicable and to avoid booking non-refundable tickets until visa approval is issued.
Looking ahead, mobility advisers expect the UAE to formalise an enhanced risk-profiling system rather than maintain a total freeze. Islamabad has offered to introduce biometric vetting and system-to-system data sharing to reassure Abu Dhabi. Until a political understanding is reached, however, Pakistani mobility into the UAE will remain severely restricted, with consequential knock-on effects for Gulf labour supply chains and Pakistani remittance flows.
