The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has warned Nigerians traveling to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to take into cognizance the new visa regime of the UAE government
The Ministry’s spokesperson, Francisca Omaluyi revealed via a statement that the UAE government has rolled out a new visa regime that has stopped giving Tourist Visas to persons below the age of 40.
This announcement comes on the heels of the recent videos on social media showing Nigerians stranded at the airport in Dubai, calling for help from the federal government after being denied entry.
Omaluyi noted that the new visa regime demands that prospective visa applicants indicate what their visa preferences are.
He called on Nigerians to regard the immigration laws of other countries in order to avert being treated harshly.
The statement reads, “The attention of the federal government has been drawn to a video on social media, showing purported stranded Nigerians, who arrived the airport in Dubai, UAE on 29th August 2022, but were denied entry into the country despite having valid visas.
“The Nigerian mission in Dubai has clarified that most of the supposedly stranded Nigerians were issued with family visas, only to arrive Dubai alone without any family member. Consequently, they were denied entry and advised to return to their country and apply for the appropriate visa.
“However, those persons allowed entry into the country have their family members in the UAE, while those who claimed their family members were on another flight, were told to wait at the airport, pending their arrival.
“The general public is invited to note and be guided that the government of UAE has introduced a new visa regime and has stopped issuing tourist visas to persons under the age of 40 years, except for those applying for family visas.
“It is therefore instructive for prospective visa applicants to indicate clearly their visa preferences without any ambiguity and also respect the immigration laws of other countries so as to avoid unwarranted treatments.”