After Saudi Arabia sent Pakistanis back for begging, UAE now freezes visas to curb rising criminal activities

After Saudi Arabia deported 5,000 beggars to Pakistan, now the United Arab Emirates has stopped issuing regular visas to Pakistani nationals, with a senior official in Islamabad confirming that the move is linked to concerns over Pakistanis travelling to the Gulf nation and “getting involved in criminal activities”, Dawn reported. Only blue and diplomatic passport holders are being cleared, while all regular applications are facing an unofficial freeze.

What Pakistan told its lawmakers

Additional Interior Secretary Salman Chaudhry informed Pakistan’s Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights that the UAE had quietly halted visa issuance. Addressing the committee, he said both the UAE and Saudi Arabia had “stopped short of imposing a complete ban” on Pakistani passports, warning lawmakers that, “If a ban is imposed, getting it removed would be difficult.”Also read: Delhi–Leh flight cheaper than Gurgaon–Noida cab? Viral post triggers debate over app-based cab faresCommittee chairperson Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri endorsed the assessment. She said the restriction stemmed from repeated incidents where Pakistani visitors were found engaged in unlawful activities inside the UAE. According to Dawn, Zehri noted that Pakistani arrivals were “getting involved in criminal activities,” and that only a few visas had been approved recently “and those too after much difficulty.”

A long-brewing visa problem

The visa freeze did not emerge overnight. Pakistani travellers began facing widespread rejections as far back as July, prompting Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi to raise the issue with his UAE counterpart. Despite a July 11 meeting where UAE Lt Gen Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan promised “full support”, the restrictions stayed in place, Dawn reported.

Also Read: Gold price prediction 2026: Will bullion prices cross the Rs 1.5 lakh mark? Here’s what global banks are forecastingEarlier in April, UAE Ambassador to Pakistan Hamad Obaid Ibrahim Salem Al-Zaabi had publicly said that visa issues were “resolved” and that Pakistanis could access a five-year visa. Islamabad’s latest admission now contradicts that assurance.

Repeated concerns over misuse of visit visas

Misuse of UAE visit visas by Pakistani travellers has been flagged several times over the past year. In January, Pakistan’s Senate Committee on Overseas Pakistanis was told that some categories of UAE visas had already been “unofficially closed”. The latest freeze suggests those restrictions have now widened.

What this means for Pakistanis abroad

The UAE is one of the biggest destinations for Pakistani workers, traders and families. An unofficial freeze — tied to criminal-case concerns — places additional pressure on Pakistan’s overseas labour plans and its diplomatic efforts with Gulf countries. For many households dependent on Gulf earnings, the uncertainty adds another layer of worry.

Saudi Arabia Deported 5,000 Pakistani ‘ beggars’

Earlier this year, Saudi Arabia carried out a major crackdown on organised begging networks, leading to the deportation of thousands of Pakistani nationals found violating local laws. Authorities in the Kingdom said many of those detained were part of groups entering on visit visas and engaging in street-level begging outside mosques, markets and public spaces. The move triggered concern in Islamabad, as videos of Pakistanis being rounded up surfaced on social media, prompting officials to acknowledge that misuse of visas had become a recurring problem in Gulf countries.