Pakistan working with UAE to address visa restrictions

The current situation of the diplomatic relations between Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is leading to its phase of the crucial as both the states attempt to overcome the issues being involved in the process of visa approval of Pakistani applicants. To put things in perspective, Ambassador Faisal Niaz Tirmizi has admitted that the situation is serious and is being discussed at the highest levels to find solutions to these concerns.

Growing Concerns Over Visa Denials

In the last one year, many Pakistani applicants have struggled to obtain UAE visas. The pathway closures have been attributed to failure to stick to local guidelines, political involvement, and some of its participants being involved in disruptive activities.

In an exclusive interview with Arab News, Tirmizi noted that he had interacted with UAE officials in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Human Resources to work out the solutions. ‘This matter is a matter of great importance and is being addressed at the highest level’, he added. “And we had to keep working on resolving the issue because it’s a huge challenge.”

Key Factors Behind Visa Refusals

The main reasons if your visa is denied is due to discrepancy in papers and possibly criminal records. The country has lately taken up artificial intelligence (AI) to verify documents, therefore verification is key.

Tirmizi explained that “there has been a major issue with regard to the verification of educational and professional qualifications from Pakistan.” And even credentials that were legitimate could be blocked if their attestation processes are faulty, he stressed. He added that people with criminal records should be stopped from seeking employment overseas.

Shifting Focus to Skilled Labor

As the infrastructure in the UAE grows rapidly, there has been significant demand reduction of unskilled labor. Pakistani Ambassador to UAE Tirmizi said that he is urging Pakistan to grow the specialized skills of its work force that better aligns with the evolving demand of the UAE job market.

He asserted, “We need to train professionals in the high demand sectors like IT and IT enabled services, artificial intelligence, finance, healthcare, skilled trades”. He also recommended the launch of a four year available to nursing program recognized throughout the UAE and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) area.

Enhancing Workforce Capabilities

Pakistan will have to overhaul its educational and vocational training systems to stay in the race in the global job market. According to Tirmizi, “we have an abundant labor force, but we must insure that our labor force has the technical skill, the cultural skills and the language skills to be successful internationally.”

Economic Growth Despite Challenges

However visa hurdles are failed, Pakistan’s remittance inflows from the UAE have witnessed a remarkable surge. In recent data, Pakistan’s diplomatic mission reports and even project remittances to reach to $3.58 billion by fiscal year 2025 which is an uptick of 53.9% from its level.

Tirmizi said this growth is substantial. “The world’s fifth largest remittance contributor to Pakistan will get a more skilled workforce to further boost remittance.”

Strengthening Trade and Economic Ties

In addition, Pakistan and the UAE have enjoyed strong growth in their bilateral trade except in the area of workforce collaboration. Since the country began participating in exhibitions and trade fairs, the IT exports of Pakistan have grown 40 percent and the UAE has become the third largest export market for Pakistani IT services after the United States of America and the United Kingdom.

Export of food such as rice, sesame seeds, and pink salt have also increased by 28% in the last one year.

Future Prospects: Strengthening Bilateral Relations

Pakistan’s third largest trading partner after China and the US is the UAE. It also stated that Pakistani exports grew in the first half of FY 2023-24 by 31 percent as bilateral trade volume reached close to $5.6 billion.

Ambassador Tirmizi however is hopeful that the issue of visa can be resolved with beneficial economic and workforce cooperation between both nations. Pakistan is committed to upgrading its workforce skills as well as strengthening the trade relations with the UAE for the realization of further economic opportunities, he said.