Parents with children stuck in India relieved, even as they wait for flights
Dubai: Indians are rejoicing the resumption of Dubai’s issuance of new visit visas for applicants from outside the UAE.
Amer centres, travel agents and visa applicants confirmed to Gulf News on Wednesday that the General Directorate of Residency and Foreign Affairs (GDRFA) in Dubai started issuing new visit visas for Indians outside the country.
The UAE had suspended the issuance of new visit visas in March as part of the restrictions introduced to curb the spread of coronavirus.
Several Indians, especially children of expats in the UAE, could not fly back as they could not get visit visas to enter the country.
Gulf News had earlier reported on how these expats, whose children are stranded back home in India, had pleaded to the UAE authorities to issue them visit visas so they could travel to the UAE and be with their families. Parents with sons aged above 18 years studying in India were particularly aggrieved because they could not secure residence visas for them.
Bringing much joy to such families, GDRFA in Dubai on Tuesday started accepting visit visa applications from Indians outside the country since Tuesday night. The visas were being issued from Wednesday morning, confirmed Amer Centres and travel agents.
They said visit visa applications from applicants of various other nationalities are also being accepted.
Gulf News could not get an immediate response from GDRFA on the matter.
Hoping for Eid reunion
Dr Mubarack Valiyakath’s son Nihal Mubarack, a medical student stuck in Kerala, who was among the first Indians to get a long-term (three-month) visit visa on Wednesday, told Gulf News: “Nihal is my second child. My other two children are here. We were planning to bring Nihal here in March. We have been trying to get a visit visa for him for long. We were eagerly waiting for the day the immigration accepts the application and issues the visa,” Dr. Valiyakath told Gulf News on Wednesday.
However, the family is now waiting for India-UAE flights to resume.
“We hope the flights will start again immediately and he can join us for Eid. We are eagerly waiting for his arrival,” said Dr Valiyakath.
Flight services to allow UAE residents to return from India stopped since Monday after the special flight agreement between the two countries for 15 days ended on Sunday.
Sources told Gulf News that discussions are on between the authorities of both the countries to find a solution to bring UAE residents back from India.
When contacted, the Indian Ambassador to the UAE Pavan Kapoor told Gulf News that he was hopeful that the India-UAE flight service would resume soon.
“It will happen soon. Just be patient,” he said.
Now, Indians who secured new visit visas from Dubai hope that they would also be allowed to fly to the UAE along with the returning residents.
