Thousands of Filipinos are stranded in Oman and Iran due to problems in the new policy on the issuance of visas in United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The new regulation that was implemented last July 29, directs previous visit visa holders to reapply as tourists as visit visas will no longer be renewed. This led to the rejection of thousands of visa applications from the Filipinos. Most have been stranded in their hotel rooms for more than a month.

The Philippine embassies in Muscat, Tehran, and Abu Dhabi and the consulate general in Dubai were ordered to help the stranded Filipinos.

Meanwhile, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Friday said it would ask the government of UAE for leniency in the case of our stranded “kababayans” and that a team from the Philippine Embassy in Dubai would meet with the stranded OFWs at the border to check their condition.