"Nigerians denied work permits in the UAE frustrated, stranded, borrow money to survive", 16 Jan 2021

Last year, over 500 Nigerians lost their jobs and were stranded for months after the Western Asian country halted granting or renewing Direct Employment Visa to them...

...“I learnt that Nigerians are being restricted from getting work permits. Since then I have been suffering and struggling to survive without work. To be able to stay legally in the UAE, I have to get a new visit visa every three months and it’s an expensive venture. I now have to borrow money from people in Nigeria to survive here..."

..."“The issue affects applications for both work permit renewal and fresh one..."

Amid the mounting chagrin among the affected Nigerians, the UAE Ambassador to Nigeria, Dr Fahad AI Taffaq, declared that no official communication on work permits issuance for Nigerians living and working in his country.

At the time, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also noted that the UAE was still issuing Direct Employment Visas to Nigerians living in the country. It noted then that several work permits were renewed, adding that new applications for work permits were not granted.

But in an interview with our correspondent, a Dubai-based activist, Tosin Fadoju, said to the best of his knowledge, the issue had been on for over six months, stating that it had been a bad experience for Nigerians in the UAE.

He also accused the Nigerian consulate of urging them to keep the matter off the media radar.