Video: UAE official helps elderly woman with expired visa, moves Iraqi musician

Dubai: For Iraqi musician Wissam Ali Khasaf, a routine airport pickup turned into one of the most emotional moments of his life—thanks to the compassion of a UAE official.

Wissam’s elderly mother had just arrived in Dubai when he received a call from an unfamiliar number. There was a problem: her visa had expired two days earlier, and by regulation, she couldn’t be allowed entry.

Distressed by the idea of his mother—exhausted from travel—being forced to wait two days alone at the airport for a return flight, Wissam pleaded with the immigration officer.

“I told him, ‘Take me instead. Let her rest. She’s an old woman. She’ll go back when it’s time, I promise.’”

What came next stunned him.

The officer paused and said gently, “I can't let an old woman sit on a chair for two days. Let me see what I can do.”

Within minutes, Wissam’s mother emerged, calm and smiling—completely unaware there had been any issue with her visa.
“When I asked her how she got through, she said, ‘What visa?’ She didn’t know anything had gone wrong.”

Wissam rushed to thank the officer, who preferred to remain anonymous. His only reply:
“Brother, my heart wouldn’t let me. She’s an old woman. You trusted me without even knowing me. That’s what humanity means.”

Wissam, who arrived in the UAE in 2004 with little more than his music and ambition, has called the country home for 20 years. Over the years, he built a successful career, performing with major Arab artists and at prestigious events, including the opening of the Burj Khalifa and the inauguration of the Louvre Abu Dhabi.

He also contributed to the recording of the Diwan of Sheikh Zayed, the UAE’s founding father—a project close to his heart.

Recently, Wissam was awarded the UAE Golden Visa, recognising his contributions to arts and culture.
“It was one of the proudest moments of my life,” he said. “If I could live my life a million times, I’d choose the UAE every time. This country gave me everything—my dreams, safety, and dignity. It welcomed me—and it welcomed my mother.”