Criminal records, fake credentials: Why UAE has stopped issuing visas to Pakistanis

The freeze affects all passport holders except diplomatic and blue passports, following repeated incidents involving Pakistani travellers.

The UAE has suspended regular visa issuance to Pakistani nationals amid concerns over applicants “getting involved in criminal activities". The development comes months after several Pakistani travellers complained of widespread visa rejections.

The development, long speculated due to months of elevated visa rejections, was formally acknowledged during a meeting of the Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights on Thursday. (REUTERS)

A senior Pakistani official has now admitted that the move is linked to concerns about Pakistanis travelling to the West Asian nation and "getting involved in criminal activities", according to Dawn.

The report said that the UAE had raised concerns over questionable educational credentials and other documentation, along with rising instances of some visa applicants linked to criminal cases.

Additional Interior Secretary Salman Chaudhry, during his briefing to the Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights, said that both Saudi Arabia and the UAE had come very close to formally banning the Pakistani passport, The Dawn reported.

Documents, credentials under scrutiny

Former Pakistani ambassador to the UAE, Faisal Niaz Tirmizi, described the visa refusals as a “serious and significant” issue, the reportadded.

He said Emirati authorities have raised red flags over the authenticity of Pakistani educational and qualification certificates, and indicated that even genuine documents may be rejected if the required attestation, whether in Pakistan or the UAE, is found inadequate.

The UAE reportedly now relies on AI-based systems to verify credentials, adding another layer of scrutiny to all applications.

Such document scrutiny, combined with tightening policies, has contributed to an unofficial halt in visa approvals, particularly for ordinary passport holders. Diplomatic and blue-passport holders remain unaffected.

Islamabad’s Additional Interior Secretary recently confirmed to the Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights that the UAE had stopped issuing most visas to Pakistanis, even if there was no formal ban.

Concerns over unlawful activities

During a briefing to the Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights, senior interior ministry officials explained that the restrictions began as an informal suspension rather than a formal ban, the report further added.

Both the UAE and Saudi Arabia are said to be exercising caution, avoiding an outright prohibition on the Pakistani passport but tightening approvals to only a handful of difficult-to-secure visas.

Members of the committee indicated that the decision followed repeated cases in which Pakistani travellers were found implicated in activities considered criminal by UAE authorities. This pattern, they said, pushed the Emirati government to reduce visa access while assessing the scale of violations.

The issue has been simmering since mid-year. Pakistanis started reporting widespread rejections as early as July, prompting Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi to raise concerns with UAE Lt Gen Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Despite assurances of cooperation, the restrictions remained in place, with no clear timeline for reversal.

The current situation also conflicts with optimistic statements issued in April, when the UAE ambassador to Pakistan indicated that earlier visa hurdles had been resolved and that Pakistani nationals would have access to multi-year visas.