Those with expired visas must take the advice of their embassies and return home

The recent change in visa rules whereby residents can only apply for visit visas for close kin and not for their extended family or friends has had an impact, especially on those interested in joining the workforce.

Indeed this was a necessary move to stop illegal workers flooding the country. But as a direct consequence of it, more and more people are getting stranded in nearby states resulting from dealings with various travel agencies as reported in our 'In depth' on Kish Island.

The problem is travel agencies are exploiting the situation by telling those with expired tourist visas that they can bring them back into the country without having to leave for the 30 day period. Unfortunately, people have been buying into this and consequently have found themselves spending long periods of time on Kish Island in Iran or Buraimi in Oman.

While some people might be tempted to go to these areas (low cost, "short" stay, etc...), it is absolutely vital that they are aware of the law and take the advice of their respective embassies, which is to return home and avoid getting stuck. For their part, the authorities must seriously look into the functioning of travel agencies and impose punishment on anyone who is involved in conning people and selling them those packages.