By Xinhua
Abu Dhabi : The immigration authorities of Abu Dhabi, the largest emirate of the Untied Arab Emirates (UAE), decided to limit visit visas only for residents’ immediate relatives to eliminate illegal immigrants in the country, local newspaper Khaleej Times reported on Thursday.
The Abu Dhabi Naturalization and Residency Department (ADNRD) “allows issuing of visit visas only for immediate relatives, such as parents, brothers, sisters, wives and children,” the department’s director Nassir Al Awadi Al Minhali said.
Under the new visa rules, residents of Abu Dhabi can no longer bring their friends and workers to the emirate.
ADNRD will not issue visit visas for companies that are allowed to obtain only employment visas after getting temporary mission permits from the Ministry of Labor.
The move is aimed at eliminating the phenomenon of illegal immigrants in the country.
A study by the UAE Ministry of Interior showed that about 25 percent of the illegals entered the UAE on visit visas.