Pakistani passengers queue for free meals after being told they could not leave Dubai International Airport. Consulate General of Pakistan in Dubai
Pakistani passengers queue for free meals after being told they could not leave Dubai International Airport. Consulate General of Pakistan in Dubai
Pakistani passengers queue for free meals after being told they could not leave Dubai International Airport. Consulate General of Pakistan in Dubai
Pakistani passengers queue for free meals after being told they could not leave Dubai International Airport. Consulate General of Pakistan in Dubai

Dubai visit visas: Five nationalities must carry Dh2,000 and a return ticket to enter emirate


Sarwat Nasir
  • English
  • Arabic

Tourists and jobseekers from five countries in South Asia must meet certain requirements to fly into the emirate, airlines and travel agencies said on Monday.

Pakistanis, Indians, Nepalis, Bangladeshis and Afghans arriving on visit visas must carry at least Dh2,000 ($545) and have a return ticket.

Proof of a hotel stay or the details of a relative's address are also required.

Pakistan International Airlines and several travel agencies shared official documents from Dubai's General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs immigration service that set out the requirements.

I think the rule is being enforced heavily now to prevent these workers from being scammed from people who say they will give them a job, if they come on a visit visa first

More than 1,200 Pakistanis and up to 200 Indians have been denied entry into Dubai since last Tuesday, after failing to meet these requirements.

"We've been receiving notifications from airlines and immigration authorities about this," Alan Orong, from Dubai's South Travel and Tourism, told The National.

“There are five nationalities who are involved in this – Pakistanis, Nepalis, Bangladeshis, Indians and Afghans.

"They need to a have valid round-trip ticket from their city of departure and sufficient funds. They need to be able to show they have Dh2,000 in hand.”

Mr Orong said Sharjah immigration officials sent the notifications.

Of the 1,225 Pakistani passengers, mostly blue-collar workers on visit visas, more than 1,000 have already been sent home, the General Consulate of Pakistan in Dubai said.

About 200 are waiting for repatriation at Dubai International Airport.

Ibrahim Elshamy, from Dubai travel agency Reds Travel and Tourism, said it had begun to notify its clients about the rules.

He said that for many years passengers were required to produce a return ticket and show they had enough money to live off.

“I think the rule is being enforced heavily now to prevent these workers from being scammed by people who say they will give them a job, if they come on a visit visa first,” said Mr Elshamy.

"This rule has always been there in Egypt. At departure, immigration asks Egyptians to show at least $1,000 and other supporting documents."

Last week, embassy officials told The National they were concerned that some residents, who were in the country illegally, had shunned a visa amnesty that ended on October 11.

The officials believe some stayed on in the hope of finding a job as the economy recovers.

Staying in the country on an expired residency visa would lead to a daily fine of Dh25, with a further daily Dh20 penalty for failing to renew an Emirates ID, costing a total of Dh315 per week.

There is a separate system for those on expired tourist or visit visas who are hit with Dh200 for the first day, and Dh100 a day after that.

Last week, the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs confirmed that travellers from Pakistan were denied entry at Dubai International Airport “due to non-compliance with entry requirements for tourist visas”.

"GDRFA clarified that these travellers did not have a valid hotel reservation or a relative's reference, nor did they have a return ticket booking, as required by UAE immigration rules," it said.

"GDRFA also said that the vast majority of passengers that are compliant with the visa rules and arrive at Dubai International Airport face no delays upon entry."

List of documents required:

- Passport with six months' validity from the date of entry into UAE

- Valid visit / tourist visa

- Return airline ticket

- Negative PCR test result, as issued by a recognised lab

- Sufficient funds to stay in the UAE

- A hotel booking or proof of address of a sponsor or relative

India and Pakistan repatriation flights - in pictures

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Look north

BBC business reporters, like a new raft of government officials, are being removed from the national and international hub of London and surely the quality of their work must suffer.

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Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

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How Tesla’s price correction has hit fund managers

Investing in disruptive technology can be a bumpy ride, as investors in Tesla were reminded on Friday, when its stock dropped 7.5 per cent in early trading to $575.

It recovered slightly but still ended the week 15 per cent lower and is down a third from its all-time high of $883 on January 26. The electric car maker’s market cap fell from $834 billion to about $567bn in that time, a drop of an astonishing $267bn, and a blow for those who bought Tesla stock late.

The collapse also hit fund managers that have gone big on Tesla, notably the UK-based Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust and Cathie Wood’s ARK Innovation ETF.

Tesla is the top holding in both funds, making up a hefty 10 per cent of total assets under management. Both funds have fallen by a quarter in the past month.

Matt Weller, global head of market research at GAIN Capital, recently warned that Tesla founder Elon Musk had “flown a bit too close to the sun”, after getting carried away by investing $1.5bn of the company’s money in Bitcoin.

He also predicted Tesla’s sales could struggle as traditional auto manufacturers ramp up electric car production, destroying its first mover advantage.

AJ Bell’s Russ Mould warns that many investors buy tech stocks when earnings forecasts are rising, almost regardless of valuation. “When it works, it really works. But when it goes wrong, elevated valuations leave little or no downside protection.”

A Tesla correction was probably baked in after last year’s astonishing share price surge, and many investors will see this as an opportunity to load up at a reduced price.

Dramatic swings are to be expected when investing in disruptive technology, as Ms Wood at ARK makes clear.

Every week, she sends subscribers a commentary listing “stocks in our strategies that have appreciated or dropped more than 15 per cent in a day” during the week.

Her latest commentary, issued on Friday, showed seven stocks displaying extreme volatility, led by ExOne, a leader in binder jetting 3D printing technology. It jumped 24 per cent, boosted by news that fellow 3D printing specialist Stratasys had beaten fourth-quarter revenues and earnings expectations, seen as good news for the sector.

By contrast, computational drug and material discovery company Schrödinger fell 27 per cent after quarterly and full-year results showed its core software sales and drug development pipeline slowing.

Despite that setback, Ms Wood remains positive, arguing that its “medicinal chemistry platform offers a powerful and unique view into chemical space”.

In her weekly video view, she remains bullish, stating that: “We are on the right side of change, and disruptive innovation is going to deliver exponential growth trajectories for many of our companies, in fact, most of them.”

Ms Wood remains committed to Tesla as she expects global electric car sales to compound at an average annual rate of 82 per cent for the next five years.

She said these are so “enormous that some people find them unbelievable”, and argues that this scepticism, especially among institutional investors, “festers” and creates a great opportunity for ARK.

Only you can decide whether you are a believer or a festering sceptic. If it’s the former, then buckle up.

BIO

Favourite holiday destination: Turkey - because the government look after animals so well there.

Favourite film: I love scary movies. I have so many favourites but The Ring stands out.

Favourite book: The Lord of the Rings. I didn’t like the movies but I loved the books.

Favourite colour: Black.

Favourite music: Hard rock. I actually also perform as a rock DJ in Dubai.

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The specs: 2019 Audi Q8
Price, base: Dh315,000
Engine: 3.0-litre turbocharged V6
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 340hp @ 3,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm @ 2,250rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.7L / 100km
 

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Power: 254hp

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Director: Matty Brown

Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea

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The bio

His favourite book - 1984 by George Orwell

His favourite quote - 'If you think education is expensive, try ignorance' by Derek Bok, Former President of Harvard

Favourite place to travel to - Peloponnese, Southern Greece

Favourite movie - The Last Emperor

Favourite personality from history - Alexander the Great

Role Model - My father, Yiannis Davos

 

 

Like a Fading Shadow

Antonio Muñoz Molina

Translated from the Spanish by Camilo A. Ramirez

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