A routine trip home has turned into a nightmare for thousands of Bangladeshis after the UAE cancelled their visas abruptly, leaving them unable to return to jobs, businesses and families.
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. According to a report in Bangladesh’s The Daily Star, around 4,800 nationals have now been stranded due to the visa cancellations. The situation, however, is not specific to Bangladesh. Several Pakistani expatriates have also found their UAE visas cancelled.
Around 12 lakh Bangladeshi nationals live and work in the UAE, making them the third-largest expatriate community after Indians and Pakistanis. Most of them are employed in construction, manufacturing and transportation sectors.
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.
ABRUPT CANCELLATIONS SPARK ANXIETY
In the present case, the visa cancellations came without warning or any explanation. The Tarique Rahman government has taken up the matter with the UAE and sought a review of the cancellations, The Daily Star reported.
Among those affected was Abul Kalam Azad, who has lived in the UAE for 27 years. Azad returned to Bangladesh on April 7. 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.
They also demanded monthly aid of Bangladeshi Tk 15,000-20,000 (Rs 12,000-16,000) to support their families. The affected expatriates have also urged the government to help them secure jobs in other countries if the UAE shuts the door on them.
What has added to the anxiety is a lack of reason or clarification from the authorities in the UAE.
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.
The Bangladesh government said it was aware of the incident.
“Many of them have businesses and shops there. Efforts are underway to resolve the matter diplomatically,” Minister for Expatriates’ Welfare Nurul Haque Nur said in a Facebook post.
WHY ARE VISAS BEING CANCELLED?
Now, the exact reason for the mass visa cancellations remains unclear.
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.
Back in July, the Bangladeshi state minister for foreign affairs, Shama Obaed Islam, said the UAE visas of 626 Bangladeshis were “auto-cancelled”, according to a report in Dhaka Tribune.
While Islam didn’t pinpoint any reason, she appealed to the expatriates not to engage in criminal activities or post sensitive or political content on social media.
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.
However, he underlined that these issues might not be directly responsible for the visa cancellations.
The UAE has not officially cited any reason. The development comes as another setback for Bangladeshi migrants. Since 2013, the UAE has been recruiting only skilled workers from Bangladesh, further narrowing employment opportunities.
For now, the visa uncertainty has left thousands of jobs, businesses, and family lives hanging in the balance.
