Qatar has stopped issuing visa on arrival to Pakistani nationals as several applicants have raised the issue of significant delay in approval of applications, according to reports.
The applicants said they contacted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to know if Qatar has imposed a ban on visa. They added that they did not receive a satisfactory response from the officials.
The reported measures are also creating difficulties for Pakistanis applying for Finnish residence permits, as the process requires applicants to appear in person at the VFS Global Visa Application Centre in Doha for identity checks and biometric registration.
Reports citing sources in Pakistan’s Foreign Office said Islamabad had yet to receive any official notification from the Qatari authorities regarding the reported restrictions. As a result, officials said the situation could not currently be termed a formally announced visa ban by Pakistan.
However, senior officials indicated that the issue would be raised with Qatar through diplomatic channels. The discussions are expected to clarify the nature of the reported measures and establish whether any temporary adjustments have been introduced in the visa processing system.
At its most recent media briefing, the Foreign Office spokesperson had also rejected reports of a visa ban on Pakistani citizens by Qatar, saying that individual countries formulate their visa policies based on their respective national interests.
