[ad_1]
DUBAI, June 15 (Reuters) – The United Arab Emirates will lift temporary restrictions on issuing visas to Lebanese nationals in the coming days due to security concerns, a UAE official told Reuters on Thursday.
“Temporary restrictions are in place to address security concerns. The temporary restrictions are under constant review and may be lifted in the coming days for certain categories of visas,” the UAE official said, without giving further details.
In recent weeks, Lebanese citizens have been reporting that Lebanese outside the UAE are not being granted visas.
Two travel agencies in Lebanon told Reuters they were unable to apply for visas for Lebanese nationals to the UAE through the usual online system, but said they had not received any new instructions or changes to entry requirements.
In previous cases of visa suspensions in the UAE, the decision was reflected in technical bans on applications for visas without formal instructions, as is happening now, one of the agents said.
On Thursday, the helpline of Dubai’s General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs said Lebanese outside the UAE would not be granted visas for the time being, following instructions from the Interior Ministry.
Lebanon’s foreign ministry declined to comment.
Reporting by Lisa Barrington and Maya Gebeily; Editing by Leslie Adler
Our standards: Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
[ad_2]
Source link