In response to mounting social-media claims that the residence visas of some Bangladeshi nationals were abruptly cancelled while they were outside the UAE, the Bangladesh Embassy in Abu Dhabi issued a public notice on August 2 requesting affected citizens to submit detailed personal and visa information. The mission aims to create “an accurate, reliable and updated database” to understand the scope of the alleged cancellations and liaise with UAE authorities. Applicants have been asked to e-mail scanned copies of their cancelled visas, Emirates ID cards and passport pages, along with employer details and last-travel dates, under the subject line “Visa Cancellation Issue – [Your Name]”. Dedicated hotlines have been set up at both the Abu Dhabi Embassy and the Dubai Consulate to handle urgent queries. While UAE officials have not confirmed any policy targeting Bangladeshi residents, immigration advisers say that visa lapses can result from sponsors failing to renew permits or from technical mismatches following recent ICP system upgrades. By centralising data, Dhaka hopes to differentiate isolated sponsor issues from any systemic problem and to provide documented evidence should formal talks with UAE immigration authorities become necessary. For employers with Bangladeshi staff outside the country, the advisory is a prompt to double-check that cancellations were not triggered by payroll delays, trade-licence expiries or inadvertent sponsor de-registrations. Mobility teams arranging summer leave travel should also verify that return-tickets coincide with valid residency status, and consider status-change applications at UAE airports if required. The embassy’s proactive stance is likely to reassure the estimated 700,000 Bangladeshi residents in the Emirates, many of whom work in construction, logistics and domestic service — sectors where uninterrupted residency is vital for project continuity and household stability.
Source: Khaleej Times
