A few companies in the United Arab Emirates have failed to receive work visas for their potential employees, of which South Asian nationals employees have a significant number. Authorities asked companies to achieve demographic diversity while hiring.

Visa experts and agents have denied claims that the UAE has stopped issuing visas to Indian, Pakistani and Bangladesh nationals in the country.

The business service centre in Dubai said thay when they reached to the Human Resources and Emiratistion (MoHRE), they were told to focus on the diversity of nationalities at the time of hiring.

The authorities emphasized that employers ensure providing jobs on quota for foreign nationals to persist the demographic diversity.

FiroseKhan, managing director of Dubai-based Profound Business Service, said: “I gave a visa to an Indian to the job of the company where the same nationals are working in a maximum number, then I received the message to maintain the diversity quota.”

Abdul Gafoor, the general manager of Al Mas Businessmen Service, highlighted that numerous companies in the UAE predominantly employ individuals from India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.

Consequently, businesses with a significant number of employees from these nationalities face restrictions on applying for new visas for individuals from the same countries.

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However, Gafoor noted that this regulation does not extend to companies within free zones, and so far, there haven’t been reported issues with obtaining work permits in these areas.

According to the MoHRE, the diversity policy aims to integrate the social and cultural diversity of the UAE into the fundamental values of private sector companies.

This involves diversifying the cultural backgrounds of their employees, providing equal employment opportunities, and concurrently fostering the empowerment of UAE citizens in alignment with the prescribed percentages of Emiratisation.