A senior Bangladeshi diplomat has dismissed rumors circulating online about a supposed visa ban on Bangladeshi nationals in the UAE.
Tareq Ahmed, Bangladesh’s Ambassador to the UAE, clarified that no such directive has been issued by Emirati authorities. “The reports circulating on social media and some websites are not attributed to any UAE government officials,” he told Bangladesh’s NTV.
Several unverified posts had claimed that Bangladeshi citizens, along with nationals of other countries, were barred from obtaining tourist and work visas. However, Ambassador Ahmed said there has been no change in visa policies and called the reports inauthentic.
Bangladesh’s Consul-General in Dubai and the Northern Emirates, Md. Rashedujjaman, estimated that nearly one million Bangladeshi nationals currently reside in the UAE, making them one of the country’s largest expatriate communities.
In a previous interview with Khaleej Times, Rashedujjaman said that Bangladesh is actively working with UAE authorities to improve visa facilitation. “We want to see Bangladeshi nationals become a part of the UAE’s success story,” he said.
According to Global Media Insight, Bangladeshis account for about 7.4 percent of the UAE’s total population, following Indian and Pakistani nationals as the third-largest expatriate group.
