UAE to grant 100,000 Pakistanis five-year visas this year – Sindh governor's office
KARACHI: The United Arab Emirates plans to issue five-year visas to 100,000 Pakistanis this year, according to an official statement released by authorities in Pakistan's Sindh province on Wednesday, following a visit by Governor Kamran Khan Tessori to the UAE consulate in Karachi.
The governor's office and UAE authorities in Pakistan said this week all visa-related issues between the two countries had been resolved, and Pakistani nationals could now apply for five-year visas to the Emirates.
The development came amid widespread reports in recent months of a decline in visa approvals for Pakistanis, allegedly due to violations of local laws and customs, as well as political sloganeering while abroad.
Tessori visited the UAE consulate in Karachi on the invitation of UAE Ambassador Hamad Obaid Ibrahim Salem Al-Zaabi following a meeting between the two officials in Karachi on Monday.
'The governor of Sindh, Kamran Khan Tessori, was warmly welcomed by the UAE ambassador and consul general during his visit to the UAE consulate,' the Governor House said in a statement.
'The governor toured the visa center at the consulate, where the ambassador briefed him on the facility,' it added. 'Ambassador Hamad Obaid Al-Zaabi said 100,000 Pakistanis would be granted five-year visas. The consul general added that applicants would be treated with great respect at the visa center and receive full cooperation.'
Earlier this week on Tuesday, the UAE consulate in Karachi issued a statement on the meeting between Tessori and Al-Zaabi.
'We love Pakistanis very much,' the statement quoted Consul General Bakheet Ateeq Al-Rumaithi as saying. 'Every person can apply for a UAE visa … Pakistani citizens can also apply for a UAE visa for work, medical treatment and other needs.'
The UAE is home to more than a million Pakistani expatriates, making it the second-largest overseas Pakistani community globally and a major contributor to remittance inflows to Pakistan.
Policymakers in Pakistan also view the UAE as an ideal export market due to its proximity, which reduces transportation and freight costs and facilitates smoother trade.
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