Hayya applications pending: Qatar halts visa-on-arrival for Pakistanis

ISLAMABAD: Qatar has stopped issuing visas on arrival for Pakistani nationals and visa applications filed on Hayya, the web portal, remain pending for months without a decision.

This correspondent received numerous complaints by Pakistani applicants who had approached the Foreign Office with their complaints but claimed they received no satisfactory response.

Visa restrictions by Qatar are also impacting Pakistani nationals seeking Finland residence permits as their requirement is in-person identity and biometric verification at the VFS Global Visa Application Centre in Doha, Qatar.

Pakistan Foreign Office has issued no official confirmation yet, despite receiving numerous reports of restrictions on visa issuance.

READ MORE: Qatar revokes visa-on-arrival facility for Pakistanis

Sources in the Foreign Office when asked told Business Recorder that Pakistan has not received any formal communication from the Qatari government adding that “the reported restrictions, therefore, cannot at this stage be described by Islamabad as an officially notified visa ban.”

However senior officials, on condition of anonymity, stated that the issue would be taken up with the Qataris through diplomatic channels to ascertain the exact nature of the reported restrictions or any temporary changes to visa processing.

During the last FO briefing, the spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan denied that a visa ban had been placed on Pakistani nationals.

He further remarked that countries decide issuance of visas based on their national interests, stressing that Pakistan enjoys excellent relations with Qatar.

He also pointed to the significant number of Pakistani community in Qatar, noting that Pakistani nationals are employed not only in the private sector but also in various government departments.

When contacted for comments, officials of Pakistan’s Embassy in Doha and Qatari diplomatic mission in Islamabad, did not respond till the filing of this report.

FO spokesperson also clarified during the weekly briefing last Thursday (10 September) that the visa restriction on Pakistani nationals by the United Arab Emirates was not supported by available figures.

According to the Foreign Office, over the past five years on average 7,000 to 8,000 Pakistanis are repatriated from the UAE annually, while approximately 40,000 to 50,000 Pakistanis have continued to travel to the UAE each year.

The statistics indicate that the number of Pakistanis travelling to the UAE was seven times higher than the number being repatriated, he added.

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