Nigerians attempting to go to the oil-rich nation of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are now prohibited from doing so by the immigration authorities, who further note that all applications will be denied and that application costs are not recoverable.
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NewsReport gathered that the change is the most recent in a string of exchanges between Nigerian and UAE immigration authorities concerning visa requirements and their interactions with Nigerian travelers.
According to reports, the latest development was announced in a notice issued on Friday by Dubai authorities to its trade partners in Nigeria, including travel agencies.
Although no reason was given for the ban, the Dubai authorities declared that all applications were on-hold until issues between the UAE Government and the Nigerian Government are resolved.
What the UAE Immigration Authorities said
The latest decision by the UAE immigration authorities is bad news for all Nigerians seeking to travel to the UAE. The notice to Nigerian travel agents partly said:
“All Dubai applications submitted are now rejected. It is general for Nigerians and approvals are on hold at the moment. Kindly advise your clients to resubmit C2=A0 applications when the issue is resolved between both governments.’’
What you should know
This action by the UAE authorities seems to lay credence to allegations of an ongoing rift between Nigeria and the Middle East country, especially since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.
Recall that in June 2021, there were reports that immigration authorities of the wealthy Middle East country barred Nigerians from applying for work permits and placed visa restrictions on them.