No Restriction on Visas…
Mondz, a good friend of mine was scavenging around Khaleej Times and was able to spot a new article related to the visa woes of our OFWs. So read this article concerning about the number of visas you can actually use to enter and go out of the UAE once you are here. I beleive this will be a welcome message to all, the under 25 issue thing is yet to be resolved though.
No bid to limit visit visa holders from UAE entry
DUBAI — The Dubai Naturalisation and Residency Department (DNRD) has clarified an earlier report on entry limit for visit visa holders, a top official of the Philippine Consulate General (PCG), told Khaleej Times.
The issue that visit visa holders are supposedly limited to only three consecutive visit visa entries to the UAE has become a concern for the Philippine community, particularly since a substantial number of Filipinos enter the country frequently on visit visa.
Philippine Consul-General Antonio S. Curameng said he spoke with Brigadier Mohammad Ahmad Al Marri, DNRD Director, to clarify the matter after four Filipinos were held and questioned at the Terminal 2 of the Dubai International Airport (DIA) last month while returning for a visa change trip to Kish Island.
“Brigadier Al Marri has personally informed me that there is no such policy limiting visit visa holders from entering the country. As long as a tourist is 18-years-old and above, and has a valid UAE visit visa, he or she can enter the country any time,” said Curameng.
He also echoed the DNRD official’s comments that the report published in the local Press about the alleged immigration limitation was wrong. “That (report) has actually caused further confusion not just within the Filipino community, but perhaps in other expatriate communities here as well,’ the consul-general added.
Last month, the PCG intervened in a case involving four Filipinos who have renewed their visit visas several times, one of whom has been frequently changing her visa for the past two years. The Filipinos were eventually allowed to pass through the immigration procedures.
Curameng then sent an official communication to DNRD to clarify the issue. “I am glad that Brigadier Al Marri has responded to our request and straightened the facts,” he said.
So here is my take. UAE makes a lot of money with the influx of tourists coming in. If they actually stopped the whole thing, they would be losing out on revenue. The Filipino community is a small part of the majority ethnic group of the UAE and more than 3500 Filipinos land in the UAE every day. The number that do come back on a daily basis is a bit of a blur though. So aside from man power, we also provide cash revenue. The only thing that is an issue is here why did it have to come from another source? yes, here I go again lambasting away at our beloved consule. Well thanks to you slow action, 4 Filipinas were rejected to coming back and you have yet to address the under 25 issue. I just wish you guys were a bit more proactive in informing the Philippine populous through the news paper rather than sticking it on our embassy walls. Who goes there anyways(?), people who want to get married and getting their exit stamps, in a place so far and out of reach.
All I can say… Post No Bills.