ISLAMABAD: The United Arab Emirates has resumed issuing visit visas to Pakistani citizens applying through registered travel agents, easing months of uncertainty and delays.
Travel industry representatives and a UAE embassy official said visa processing has particularly improved for families traveling to the UAE or joining relatives already living there.
The development is significant for Pakistanis, as the UAE is home to around 1.8 million Pakistani nationals. Travel executives said applications that previously faced lengthy scrutiny are now being processed more promptly, while tourism activity and passenger movement are gradually picking up.
According to a senior Pakistani immigration official, daily passenger traffic from Pakistan to Dubai rose from around 170 earlier in the summer to nearly 400 by the final week of July.
The resumption of visa issuance is expected to provide relief to Pakistani travelers and further support the gradual recovery in travel between the two countries.
