ABU DHABI: The United Arab Emirates has introduced stricter rules for Pakistani nationals applying for a visa, making it compulsory for them to have a minimum bank statement of PKR 1 million.
For a visa application, Sadiq Sabir believes that these will co-occur with a confirmed return ticket and hotel booking. As a result, there was a huge rise in the rejection rate for UAE visas; 99% were rejected for reasons ranging from inadequate financial proof to criminal background and even expressly stated traveling intent in some cases.
About 2,000 visa applications leave Lahore daily, with no countermove being necessarily taken forthwith. This does lead to heavy financial loss for applicants to the tune of anything between AED 1,500-2,000, leaving them with no option but to pay for a nonrefundable visa application fee, hotel bookings, and so on.
The embassy clarified that these things were wrong; the UAE had not at any point stopped issuing visas to Pakistanis with the Pakistan embassy in Abu Dhabi denying the unsubstantiated rumors.
No details relating to the prohibition of issuing UAE visas to Pakistani nationals were given to Pakistani auth; however, the officials insisted that nothing of the sort had ever occurred. It is also worth noting that the UAE deals in standard visit visas, which require certain credentials and fees, including tourist and transit visas.
Further, some countries do not require prior arrangement of visas and, upon arrival in the UAE, their passports will be stamped with a visit visa instead.³
