Eben Enasco Reporting.
The United Arab Emirates UAE immigration authorities say all submitted applications will be rejected and fees non-refundable in its recent visa ban on Nigerians seeking to visit the oil-rich country.
This comes as the latest in a series of back and forth between the Nigerian authorities and the UAE immigration authorities on visa restrictions and their engagement with Nigerians who wish to visit.
According to multiple reports, the latest action was declared in a notice issued on Friday by Dubai authorities to its trade partners in Nigeria, including travel agencies.
Although no clear explanation was given for the ban, it’s traced to the unresolved issues between the UAE Government and the Nigerian Government, hence the declaration by the Dubai authorities putting it on hold until a resolution between the two countries.
The latest decision by the UAE immigration authorities is bad news for all Nigerians seeking to travel to the UAE.
The action of the UAE authorities seems to lay credence to allegations of an ongoing rift between Nigeria and the Middle East country, especially since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.
Recall that in June 2021, there were reports that immigration authorities of the wealthy Middle East country barred Nigerians from applying for work permits and placed visa restrictions on them.
The United Arab Emirates UAE Embassy in Nigeria has reacted to media reports about the purported travel restrictions imposed on Nigerians wishing to travel to the UAE.
In its response, the UAE Embassy in Abuja refuted the accuracy of the information which was contained in those reports, while also affirming the growing bilateral relations between the 2 friendly countries.
This disclosure was made in an official statement by the United Arab Emirates Embassy in Abuja on Thursday, August 6, 2020.
The embassy, in its statement, said the UAE government acknowledged that travel between Nigeria and the UAE has been limited due to the closure of the Nigerian airspace.
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