Around 4,800–5,000 Bangladeshis are reportedly facing uncertainty after the United Arab Emirates cancelled their residency and work visas, with many discovering the cancellations while they were outside the country.
The affected include workers, entrepreneurs and long-term residents who had travelled to Bangladesh on leave or family visits.
Some said they received cancellation notices through email, mobile messages or UAE-based sponsors without prior warning or a clear explanation.
The reasons for the cancellations have not been officially disclosed. Migration experts and community representatives have pointed to stricter security screening, documentation or renewal issues, and scrutiny of online activity as possible factors, though none has been confirmed by UAE authorities.
Some affected residents had spent decades in the UAE, running businesses, owning property and keeping their families there. Bangladeshi expatriates have called for financial assistance, alternative employment and urgent diplomatic intervention.
Bangladesh has raised the issue with the UAE and sought a review of cases involving people without legal violations.
Expatriates in Dhaka have also submitted demands for rehabilitation and monthly financial support.
Around 12 lakh Bangladeshis live and work in the UAE, mainly in construction, manufacturing and transport. The UAE is Bangladesh’s largest source of remittances; workers sent home $3.65 billion in 2023-24.
The UAE has not publicly given a specific reason for the reported mass cancellations.
