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University degree a must to visit UAE: Report
Move would help reduce risk that individuals engaged in crime or trafficking of persons could gain entry to UAE.
Move would help reduce risk that individuals engaged in crime or trafficking of persons could gain entry to UAE. PHOTO: FILE
DUBAI: Tourists from South Asian countries that export labour to the UAE will require a university degree to get a visa as the rich Gulf state fights an illegal influx, a newspaper reported Tuesday.
Electricians, pipe fitters, masons, farmers, drivers, tailors and cleaners from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the Philippines are now banned from obtaining a tourist visa, Gulf News daily said citing a senior immigration official.
The new measure sets a university degree as a prerequisite to obtain a visa, the official said.
“The Federal Residency Department… 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,” said the official.
“This would help significantly reduce the risk that individuals engaged in organised crime or the trafficking of persons could gain entry to the country,” he said.
Tourist visas are usually arranged through hotels or airlines and travel agents.
Tourism grew rapidly in the UAE, especially in the glitzy emirate of Dubai, where the number of tourists increased to 9.3 million in 2011, up 10 per cent from the previous year.
The UAE has millions of foreign workers, mostly from South Asian countries.
The expat-dominated population is estimated to have grown to around 8.2 million by the end of 2010, with UAE nationals making up only 11.47 per cent.
Reader Comments (23)
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we’ll find a way around this as we always do.
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Only happens in an Islamic Country…
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Silly. What about those tourists who don’t have a degree but have a successful business?
Forget uae….go to Egypt or turkey. I visited these two countries for my last two holidays. Friendly people, beautiful scenery and beaches and great food…..not artificial like dubai.
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This is the status of Pakistan and Pakistanis in Arab countries.Recommend
And we thought Arabs are our friends… Well np, people who do have a degree can easily make a degree (see how our Parliamentarians did)Recommend
and then we talk about the ummah! Sab sey pehle Pakistan i say, let’s get rid of the growing Arab influence over our way of life. Yes, Islam originated from Arabia but it doesn’t mean whatever they do is right. Down with Arabization of Pakistan.
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@IceSoul:
I think you conveniently decided not the read the full list of countries ….
“India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the Philippines”
We seems to have no objection when the US embassy rejects the visa request without citing any reasons. All countries have right to create laws according their convenience …
BTW one question, Will this visa policy be also applicable on our politicians as well ?? Remember most of the big shot lot is without a degree.
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@IchDien: I did not forget them; I didn’t mention it because India, Bangladesh etc don’t keep yapping on about the “Ummah” and and “Arab brothers” and all that. Most Pakistanis believe they are descendents of Arabs; Indians or Sri Lankans don’t. Same goes for the US, I don’t see anyone saying the Americans are our “Muslim brothers” or that we are descended from the Americans or that Pak and the US are the best buddies ever.Recommend
@pakistani: spot on, my friend!Recommend
@ pakistani…Yes ! u r right..” whatever they do is not always right “….but if we hv followed the Quran & Sunnah…today Muslim Ummah wud hv ruled the world or say…we Pakistanis wud be better-off today….Recommend
Will they allow the fake degree holders , by any chance? I mean the pakistani MNAs
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This will be going to be last nail in the coffin of tourism in UAE.
Tourist instead of furnishing an attested degree by HEC, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and lastely from UAE Embassy/Consulate will prefer to go to some other country with their children to spend vacations in those countries where such restrictions are not applied.
Every one knows that laws in UAE are changed overnight.
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There was no complaint when they needed slave labour to complete their artificial paradise was there? Only now when they’ve smacked head-on into financial meltdown that they are panicking. Well, your loss!
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Sheer absurdity. This will let the targeted people still get in since they will be able to get the fake degrees and keep the legit people out since they won’t like to go through the hassle and drama.Recommend
Hahaha. Over 20% of our parliament has fake degrees.So for UAE visa one will get a fake degreeRecommend
I guess our politician cannot visit Dubai now, unless their authority is approving fake degree.
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Can’t be true. But then again, April fool’s was a long time.Recommend
Arabs, no offense do not think much. Their thought process is very limited is every aspect. Its not hard to see the results they have been getting recently.
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@ azi .. We have an amazing thought process… It’s taking us really far..isn’t it… Just take a glance at today’s news…
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Good move now I will not stand in the queue with all these ‘illiterates’.
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@Azi: While I agree with your comment on their thought process, you have to acknowledge that they are completely dedicated to protecting their country and their citizens by imposing such restrictions. We can spend a lifetime there without any chance of getting citizenship, and they have thus kept themselves free from problems created by uncontrolled influx of immigrants, while Pak has suffered beyond measure due to afghan refugees. If such measures had been in place in Pak then the situation could have been very different from now.
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@Tariq:
While that is true, their aim is to get their own citizens working for good positions which also is a good step for any government to take for their citizens. I come from Oman, I lived there for 20+ years, every time they have tried to bring Omanization (Getting own people in good positions) the companies have hit rock bottom. Their problem is mainly against other Muslims nationalities esp Pakistanis.
They have abs no problem filling their country with Indians and awarding the very best managerial positions to anyone with western passports not to mention paying them 5 times more than if it was a non western passport person.
It truly is unfortunate that arabs think we owe them something or they are superior than us.
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Told ya, can’t be true…
http://gulfnews.com/about-gulf-news/al-nisr-portfolio/xpress/interior-ministry-denies-ban-on-tourist-visas-1.1078701
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