In a statement issued on October 18, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced that it was suspending the issuance of 30-day visas for 20 African countries and one Caribbean country with immediate effect. Here is the story.
Cameroon, Ghana, Burundi, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Liberia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Gambia, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Benin, Rwanda, Ivory Coast, Comoros, Togo, Uganda, Dominican Republic are the 20 African countries and one Caribbean country affected by the UAE measure.
Details of the UAE decision and initial response
While the UAE does not specify the reason for its decision, the message is clear: any request for a 30-day visa from a national of one of the concerned countries will be automatically canceled or returned. Travel agencies and other commercial agents are warned. But what about other visas? Does this affect Work visas, student visas, golden visas, etc.? The Emirati authorities remain silent on that matter. As indicated in their press release, only tourist visas are concerned.
But, this is not the first time that the United Arab Emirates has suspended the authorization of visas for African nationals. In November 2020, a similar measure was taken against 13 countries, namely Turkey, Pakistan, Kenya, Yemen, Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Somalia, Lebanon, Tunisia, Algeria and Iran. The reason provided was the Covid-19 epidemic. But this reason was only for Pakistan. Concerning the other countries, no information was given.
These new measures of the United Arab Emirates resulted in confusion. Nationals of the affected countries expressed their frustration on social media. Warriskaty, one of them, wrote: "I think I'd visit the northwest of my own country [Congo-Brazzaville], Cairo, Marrakech, Ethiopia or South Africa than to visit Dubai. It's time to react, it's a shame!" Joe Robinson goes further. "The reason is simple: racism. They want to attract athletes but not other people!".
For others, however, it would be a mistake to conclude to racism without a thorough understanding of the case. They argue that some nationals from the countries involved would take advantage of their 30-day visas to stay longer. The 30-day visa for Dubai, considered easier to obtain than the others, is allegedly used by these nationals to work and stay illegally in the country. However, the Emirati immigration services have made no reference to this information.
Responses from African leaders
Aïssata Tall Sall, Senegal's Minister of Foreign Affairs, posted a denial from the ministry on her Twitter account. The statement, dated October 26, mentioned: "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Senegalese Abroad specifies that this information is false. Senegalese nationals still can travel to the United Arab Emirates under the conditions set by the competent Emirati authorities." It is true that the UAE measure only refers to 30-day visas. However, the Senegalese ministry seems to assume that, since other visas are not affected, it's still possible for the Senegalese to move to the UAE in the long term.
On a different tone, Godwin Emefiele, Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, and Hadi Sirika, Minister of Aviation, have expressed their discontent. The minister believes that Nigeria must instead take advantage of the situation. "We are not scared of this decision. It could even be a good thing for the development of the Nigerian economy. It encourages people to stay in the country rather than aim for Dubai."
