'We will stop daily runs to nearby states'

Dubai: A 25-year-old Syrian teacher was travelling to Muscat for a visa run when he was killed in an accident about two weeks ago.

He went to Oman to change his visit visas as he had to leave the country to apply for another visa. Officials had told him that he had to leave the country if he wanted to get a new visa.

The law, officials said, requires a person wanting to adjust his status - whether employment or residency - to leave the country and return immediately.

Gulf News on Thursday reported that a two-month-old baby must travel to the Iranian island of Kish or to Oman and return so that he can get a residency visa.

The Iraqi baby Ehab was born in Syria and landed in the UAE on a visit visa issued from the UAE Embassy in Damascus.

The father of the baby applied for residency visa for the baby and paid Dh700 to adjust the baby's residency status but it was rejected.

Trip

The father was told by residency officials in Ajman to take the baby to Kish or Oman, get a stamp on his passport and come back for the residency application to be accepted.

However, the practice of visa runs was banned in February 2004, after a Kish Air plane crashed into a residential area near Sharjah airport, killing 43 people.

Most expatriates had gone to Kish to adjust their visa status.

Even though the rule was passed four years ago, expatriates continued to make the run, fanning a flourishing business.

The rule also said expatriates can pay a fee and change their status instead of going on a visa run.

Many residents said the fee is not accepted. Naturalisation and Residency Department officials insist that they leave the country on visa runs and return, they said.

But all this is set to change.

According to an official from Ministry of Interior, short visa runs will be completely stopped. People who have got jobs will come here on an employment visa. They will not come on visit visas and then change their status to employment and residency. The official said the complete ban on short visa runs will be announced shortly.

New visa rules will take effect from August 1.

The official said people who need to change their status will have to leave the country for at least a month. "We will stop these daily runs to neighbouring countries. There will be a set of rules," the official said.