UAE suspends entry of residency visa holders abroad, stops issuing work permits

The UAE will suspend entry of all its valid visa holders, including residents who are currently abroad, for a renewable period of two weeks, beginning at 12pm on Thursday, March 19, as a means to contain the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation has requested those residents with valid UAE visas currently abroad to undertake the following steps:

-Those who are now staying in their countries of origin have to contact the UAE diplomatic missions in their respective nations.

-Those who are currently outside the UAE on business have to contact their employers here in the UAE as well as Emirati diplomatic missions in their host countries to facilitate their return back to the UAE.

-Those who are now on vacation in foreign countries have to contact UAE diplomatic missions in their respective host countries to facilitate their return back to the UAE.

Apart from the new restrictions on the entry of UAE residents abroad back into the country, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation also took the additional step of suspending the issuance of all types of labour permits, including for drivers and domestic workers, from Thursday, March 19, until further notice.

The suspension of labour permits exempts intra-corporate transfer and EXPO 2020 permits.

On Wednesday, the UAE said that it was suspending the issuing of visas on arrival for all nationalities, except for diplomatic passport holders.

Read: UAE to suspend visas on arrival from March 19

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation issued a statement notifying Emirati nationals not to travel abroad, effective on Wednesday itself, until further notice.

Read: UAE orders all passengers to self-quarantine, bans citizens from travelling abroad

It added that every traveller coming into the UAE will have to remain in home quarantine for 14 days.

Any person found violating the procedures of the home quarantine, leaving the place of residence and interfering with others, will be punished under law by the public prosecution, the UAE attorney general Hamad Al Shamsi said.

Read: UAE reports 15 new Covid-19 cases, total now at 113

The Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship (ICA) has said that families and kin of UAE residents currently abroad who are affected by this new decision can get in touch on the following details:

‏-Fax: 025543883

-Mobile: 0501066099

-Landline 02 3128867- 02 3128865

-Email: [email protected]