US visa delays worry UAE travellers — from World Cup fans to H1-B workers

Dubai: As anticipation builds for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the US, UAE residents and professionals are navigating an increasingly complex US visa environment, flag industry analysts and visa facilitator firms.

While demand for travel and event attendance remains strong, they note that evolving US immigration policies are challenging decisions around tourism, work relocation and long-term career planning.

“The new US visa regime is sending ripples through both leisure and professional travel markets here in the UAE,” said Alena Iakina, founder of visa insights platform visarun.ai. “Leisure demand holds, but corporate and long-term plans face heightened scrutiny and cost pressures.”

U.S. tightened conditions for work-related travel and introduced targeted facilitation for World Cup visitors late last year. U.S. Embassy officials in the UAE earlier confirmed to Gulf News that fans must still apply for standard B-1/B-2 visitor visas, stressing that FIFA PASS only eases appointment delays and does not change approval eligibility or approval criteria.

While football fans prepare itineraries, professionals face growing regulatory headwinds tied to US work visas, particularly the H-1B category. In late 2025, a presidential proclamation significantly increased costs associated with new H-1B applications, requiring employers to pay a one-time $100,000 fee on top of existing filing charges for certain new hires.

That change has introduced uncertainty into the job mobility calculus for UAE residents and global talent alike. Travel agents and immigration consultants in the region reported a wave of cancellations and hesitant bookings following the announcement, as employees and employers alike reassessed travel plans amid confusion over how the new rules might affect re-entry and future employment prospects.

“The immediate reaction we saw was panic,” said a UAE travel operator summarising industry sentiment. “People were cancelling or delaying flights because they were unsure whether they would be barred from returning to the US under the new rules.”

Although US Citizenship and Immigration Services later clarified that the $100,000 fee does not apply to current H-1B holders, renewals or extensions, the initial uncertainty reverberated through the expatriate community and travel ecosystem.

In addition, under legislation that takes effect in early 2026, H-1B applications will be selected under a new rank-based system designed to prioritise higher-paid, higher-skilled roles — an overhaul that could further complicate long-term hiring strategies for multinational employers and professionals based in the UAE.

Visa complexity is altering traveller behaviour in measurable ways.

According to Iakina, many UAE residents are purchasing flexible or refundable airline tickets and applying early for visas as a hedge against uncertainty. Travel consultants report an uptick in early visa submissions, thicker documentation preparations and greater reliance on specialist advisory services to navigate interview requirements and avoid procedural pitfalls.

“While leisure demand has not diminished, the actual visa process is now a central part of travel planning that was previously assumed rather than scrutinised,” Iakina said.

Industry sources also observe cross-market shifts. After the H-1B changes, some travellers pivoted away from US destinations in favour of alternatives like Canada, amid broader declines in B-1/B-2 tourist visa applications from the region.

Multinationals with operations in the UAE and beyond are recalibrating mobility policies.

According to Iakina, companies are increasingly cautious about relocating staff under the evolving US visa framework, especially where long-term assignments are concerned. Employers are exploring alternative visa categories, remote work arrangements and in-region talent deployment, as the cost and complexity of US workforce movements rise.

This recalibration is already influencing budget allocations for travel, relocation packages and talent mobility strategies, particularly in sectors like technology and professional services where US work visas have historically been a cornerstone for global deployment.

The juxtaposition of streamlined processes for short-term leisure — such as FIFA PASS for World Cup fans — and tightening criteria and costs for professional mobility encapsulates the broader tensions in US visa policy.

For UAE residents, the immediate priority is clear: prepare documentation early, understand the limits of ticket-linked privileges, and adjust travel plans to accommodate lengthening visa timelines. At the same time, long-term career mobility to the United States now requires deeper strategic planning amid shifting policy and cost structures.

“Leisure and event travel will surge,” Iakina added. “But structural constraints on professional mobility are reshaping ambitions and outcomes in ways we are only beginning to measure.”