Pakistanis can now avail a five-year visa after the resolution of existing issues, Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to Pakistan Hamad Obaid Ibrahim Salem Al-Zaabi announced on Tuesday.

According to the website of Dubai’s General Directorate of Identity and Foreigners Affairs, the country issues multiple-entry tourist visas for five years. The visa allows a person to make several trips to the UAE from the date of issue, without needing a guarantor or host within the country.

The development came during a meeting between Zaabi and Sindh Governor Karmran Khan Tessori at the Governor’s House.

“Visa issues have been resolved, Pakistanis can get a five-year visa,” Zaabi was quoted as saying in a press release from the Governor House.

He also invited the governor to visit the visa centre at the Karachi consulate.

Tessori thanked the UAE diplomat for his country’s investment in the province, especially in Karachi. The ambassador praised ongoing projects under the governor’s initiative.

According to reports, the UAE authorities have lately increased the scrutiny of Pakistanis arriving in the country due to their alleged involvement in crime and unlawful activities, like begging. On December 23, a Senate panel was informed that all Pakistani travellers to the UAE needed to be vetted and verified by the police. Travel agents were also instructed in this regard.

In another meeting on Jan 9, the Senate Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development was told that there were “no restrictions on work visas” for Pakistanis travelling to the UAE. It further learnt that visas to the UAE had been “unofficially closed” and its government had reservations that Pakistanis, on visit visas, resort to begging in the country.

On the other hand, during an interview with Geo News in November last year, the Consul General of UAE in Karachi, Dr Bakheet Ateeq Alremeithi, had revealed that Pakistanis may be facing visa rejections due to negative social media activities.

Alremeithi also stated that there had been complaints regarding the conduct of certain Pakistani social media influencers in the UAE, especially on platforms such as TikTok, resulting in dissatisfaction from the UAE government and prompting stricter visa regulations that have raised concerns for Pakistani travellers. He also clarified that there was no ban on UAE visas for Pakistani nationals.