Abu Dhabi : Thousands of Bangladeshis who returned home on leave are now finding themselves unable to return to the UAE after their visas were abruptly cancelled without any warning or explanation. As per report, around 4,800 nationals have now been stranded due to the visa cancellations. The situation, however, is not specific to Bangladesh.
For many workers, being stranded at home is not an option. Most borrow huge sums to pay recruitment agents for visas and overseas jobs. Their families back home depend on the remittances they send. In fact, the UAE is also Bangladesh’s largest source of remittances. As per the latest available data, between 2023 and 2024, Bangladeshi workers in the UAE sent home $3.65 billion, a 52% increase from a year earlier.
On July 24, he received an email informing him that his UAE visa had been cancelled. “No reason was mentioned,” Azad said. Several others also described similar experiences, with visa cancellation notices arriving from July through emails or messages. Last week, around 350 affected Bangladeshis attended a meeting with the government at the National Press Club in Dhaka seeking urgent intervention. They submitted a five-point demand, including rehabilitation and financial support for the affected.
One affected Bangladeshi said he had no criminal case or other legal issue in the UAE. “I have two businesses there, and my wife is there. I was supposed to be in Dubai, but now we are going door-to-door seeking a solution,” he said. Under UAE government rules, residence visas are usually cancelled if an expatriate remains outside the country for more than six consecutive months. However, in this case, those affected said they had been away for only 2-3 months when their visas were cancelled.
The UAE has already restricted visas for Pakistanis since last year over concerns that they were getting involved in criminal activities and begging. MS Shekil Chowdhury, chairperson of the Centre for Non-Resident Bangladeshi, said the UAE had increased scrutiny amid the ongoing turmoil in the Middle East and the US-Iran conflict. Chowdhury told The Daily Star that social media posts and anything perceived as a potential security concern was attracting greater scrutiny.
Read Also : India Summons Islamabad’s Envoy After Pak Naval Vessel Collides With Warship