Is the Gulf work visa open for Pakistanis? How to check for yourself

"Is the Dubai visa open?" "Has Saudi Arabia stopped visas for Pakistanis?" "Which cities are banned?" These questions spread fast on WhatsApp and Facebook, and so do fake answers. The honest answer is that no official page publishes such a list: the official tools check one application at a time, and you can use them to check your own job offer and visa. This guide shows you where.

Why there is no simple answer

Rumours usually come in three kinds: a "visa ban" on all Pakistanis, a list of Pakistani cities said to be blocked, and "new update" posts about changed rules. We found no official list of banned cities on the governments' websites. News reports of such lists, and of official denials, have both appeared over the years. Treat any list without an official source as a rumour, and check your own case instead.

UAE: check your offer, your entry permit and the company

• Your job offer: a real UAE offer letter is issued through the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) and signed by an authorised manager. Check its reference number on MOHRE's inquiry service (opens in a new tab).
• Your entry permit: after you sign, the employer sends an electronic entry permit. Check it with GDRFA Dubai for Dubai, or ICP for Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah. The UAE government's page on tracking visas (opens in a new tab) links to both.
• The company: check that the employer exists in the UAE's National Economic Register.
• Costs: under UAE labour law, the employer pays the recruitment costs.
• Visit visas: a visit or tourist visa does not allow you to work. Working on one brings fines and legal trouble. See the Dubai visit visa.

Saudi Arabia: check the visa on the official platform

• The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs' visa platform (opens in a new tab) has a visa inquiry. You search with the application, visa document or visa request number, together with your sponsor's (employer's) ID number, so ask your employer or OEP for these.
• Domestic workers: Musaned, the Saudi government's domestic worker platform, has a visa status inquiry. It needs your employer's ID number and the request ID.

Qatar: check the visa with the Ministry of Interior

• The Qatar Ministry of Interior's visa inquiry lets you check a work visa by application number, visa number or passport number, and print an issued visa.
• Your medical and biometrics for a Qatar work visa are usually done at a Qatar Visa Center (QVC) in Pakistan; your employer or OEP will confirm. Book only through its official website.

The Pakistani side

• Licensed OEP: recruitment should go through a licensed Overseas Employment Promoter, the Overseas Employment Corporation, or direct employment that you register yourself.
• Job permissions: BE&OE's Foreign Jobs page lists the job demands it has given licensed OEPs permission to recruit for, by country. It shows real demand handled by licensed agencies, not a country's visa policy.
• Protector registration: before you fly, register with the Protector of Emigrants. For the UAE and Qatar, e-Protector asks for a police character certificate, and for Qatar a medical certificate too.

Red flags

Walk away from anyone who:

• sells a "visa slot", "free visa" or "azad visa";
• tells you to travel on a visit visa and change it to a work visa later;
• cannot give you an offer or visa number that you can check on the official sites above;
• asks for cash without an official receipt, or wants to keep your passport; or
• claims to know which cities are "open" and charges you for that information.

Where to report fraud

• Federal Investigation Agency (FIA): complaint.fia.gov.pk, complaints@fia.gov.pk, or the helpline 1991.
• BE&OE: complaints@beoe.gov.pk.

Read also: Working in the Gulf safely, with a licensed OEP.