The Federal Government of Nigeria has advised Nigerians travelling to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to be guided by the new visa regime of the UAE government.
In a statement signed by Francisca Omayuli, Foreign Affairs ministry’s spokesperson, it noted that the UAE government had introduced a new visa regime and had stopped issuing Tourist visas to persons under 40 years.
This, it said, was consequent upon some videos on the social media showing stranded Nigerians, calling out the federal government after arriving in Dubai where they were denied entry at the airport.
● What the ministry is saying
According to the statement, prospective visa applicants were now to indicate clearly their visa preferences.
The Federal Government urged Nigerians to respect the immigration laws of other countries so as to avoid unwarranted treatment.
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 (sic) 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.”
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