Dubai: Around 4,800 Bangladeshi nationals who returned home on leave are now unable to return to the UAE after their visas were abruptly cancelled without warning or explanation, according to a report in Bangladesh's The Daily Star. Several Pakistani expatriates have also reportedly had their UAE visas cancelled.

Around 1.2 million Bangladeshi nationals live and work in the UAE, making them the third-largest expatriate community after Indians and Pakistanis. Most are employed in construction, manufacturing, and transportation. For many workers, being stranded at home is not an option as most borrow large sums to pay recruitment agents for visas and overseas jobs, and their families depend on the remittances they send. The UAE is Bangladesh's largest source of remittances, with workers sending home $3.65 billion between 2023 and 2024.

The visa cancellations came without warning, with notices arriving by email or message from July onwards. Abul Kalam Azad, who lived in the UAE for 27 years, returned to Bangladesh on April 7 and received an email on July 24 informing him his visa had been cancelled. "No reason was mentioned," he said. The Tarique Rahman government has taken up the matter with the UAE and sought a review. Last week, around 350 affected Bangladeshis attended a meeting in Dhaka, submitting a five-point demand including rehabilitation and financial support.

The exact reason for the mass cancellations remains unclear. Under UAE rules, residence visas are usually cancelled if an expatriate remains outside the country for more than six consecutive months, but those affected said they had been away for only two to three months. The UAE has not officially cited any reason. For now, the visa uncertainty has left thousands of jobs, businesses, and family lives hanging in the balance.

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