ISLAMABAD – The United Arab Emirates (UAE) rejected more than 50,000 visa applications submitted by Pakistan nationals in 2024, reflecting that strict scrutiny process has been put in place.
The development comes amid growing concern by the Gulf state over the increased numbers of Pakistanis involved in begging and other illegal activities. It has forced the UAE authorities to begin vigilant screening of passengers travelling to the UAE.
Recently, the UAE has made it mandatory for Pakistani citizens to obtain a police character certificate before travelling to the country.
Meanwhile, the Arab country has deported more than 10,000 Pakistani nationals in the past 16 months for various reasons, according to reports.
Reports claimed that over 10,100 Pakistanis have been deported from the UAE.
A crackdown against Pakistani citizens is ongoing in many countries around the world, but the UAE has deported the highest number of Pakistanis in 16 months.
They were deported during a period between September 2023 and January 2025.
During this period, 4,740 convicted Pakistani prisoners were deported. These Pakistani citizens had been serving sentences in various UAE prisons.
Furthermore, 5,800 other Pakistani citizens were deported due to different criminal charges.
In the past 48 hours, 93 Pakistanis have been deported from 10 countries, including Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Morocco. Among them, 6 individuals are also on the blacklist.
